Featured Artwork: New England Endurance

Enduring New England
A painting of the Marlboro, VT town center before
the church burned the next year catapulting it to
prominence and resulting in it being in high demand.

There is no diary entry for this painting.

Editor's Note:

Reason would suggest that a painting by this name is most likely the Marlboro Church scene to the right given that this painting is a play on the same name. ⮞

Adding to our theory is the two canvases do not exhibit together during one of the artist's most critical years of his career. This painting hangs at Smith College (Northhampton, MA) and A.A. Munson Galleries (New Haven, CT) while Enduring New England is hanging in Boston (Myles Standish Gallery) and New York City (Grand Central Art Galleries). More Below ⮟

The pastel painting Abandoned Heights, c. 1930 ?
The year of this artwork is unknown, however, note
the sketchy style indicates it could be the early 1930s
when RSW made a series of 'incomplete' drawings all in
similar and uncommon way- out of the norm for him.

⮜ Yet still, as likely as this subject may be Enduring New England, at first glance at the name, a painting Woodward made of an abandon home in Rowe, MA, popped into our heads seen in the chalk drawing to the left. Woodward claims he "made several paintings in the past of this rare old house," we know of only 2 oils and the pastel. He also says there were a couple of sketch-like oils he used to make the 1943 canvas New England Essence.

New England Essence, 1943
"made in the studio in the winter of 1943, from
sketches in oil made a number of years ago. (Also
made chalk drawing of this same subject, now
owned by Charles Stoddard of Greenfield) of the
quaint old house in Rowe..." -RSW diary remarks

⮞ Our gut says to not count the Rowe house out as a possible subject. There is a 1933 oil titled High in New England of Rowe. Besides, there is also another, smaller, oil canvas of the Marlboro, VT, town center named,The Marlboro Church (1931) also making the same rounds during the same time at the same places as Enduring New England. It is hard to believe Woodward had three versions of the same scene circulating at the same time. Than again... it could be none of the above.