Featured Artwork: Unnamed: Keach's Drama

None.

An illustration of the varying subjects
from the Keach Farm Woodward painted

Woodward was known for being able to makes the most of a single subject using various angles, be it a tree, a barn, or a farm. The Keach Farm, was probably his favorite subjects having made around 20 paintings in his career. This is one of the earliest known paintings. It is definitely pre-1922 given the style and technique. This is the only painting we know showing the spread of Keach's farm in its entirety. To help you, we created the graphic in the image to your right illustrating the various portions of the farm painted by Woodward. They are as follows:

The first is (1) From a May Pasture tucked just behind the (2) The Twin Barns. On the other side of the barns, you can see the vantage point for which he painted (3) The Greening Tree and Apple Blossom Time. Then down the slope from that you can see the various buildings that makeup (4) New England in November and Unnamed: A Sloping New England Farm. Last but not least the main house for which he made (5) Mrs. Keach's Front Porch, as well as inside the home with Keach's Stove and Country Sitting Room.

The cover of the American Studies
Group catalogue. To see the entire catalogue
CLICK HERE

Discovered recently, the photo above was found in a personal photo albumn of Doc Purinton separate from his Woodward material. It was taken at the Deerfield Academy's Hilson Gallery Exhibition produced by the American Studies Group honoring Woodward in May of 1970. Typical of photographs from the period it has a ribbed texture left by the early printers used at the time. We could not remove the texture without ruining the image itself.

This painting is reminiscent of 1930 award winning, New England Drama, with the farm seemingly hanging on the edge of a sloping hill with distant hills serving as a backdrop.

We will continue to search for the name of this painting. In the meantime, if you wish to know more about the project performed by the American Studies Group and view the catalogue in its entirety please CLICK HERE

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An image capture from a color
slide on top of the 1970 photograph

Recently we found another image of this painting on a color slide in Doc Purinton's slide collection. While it's quality far exceeds the 1970 photographs, it is a close up and is missing roughly 40% of the remaining scene. Still, we had to at the very least illustrate in some way how rich it is in color and texture that the 1970 picture lacks - minus the ribs.

Dating this painting is not too difficult. As we stated above it is pre-1922. There are a number of factors suggesting this: (1) the high gloss is the result of a lacqeur varnish Woodward used in his early year as a perservative. Unfortunately, what was unknown to him at the time was this lacquer would darken as it aged and become brittle; (2) the impasti techique of his application of the oil paint; and (3) the dreamy, yet realism of the trees are unmistakenly early Woodward [see also - 1918's, Unnamed; A Farm in Winter, Through The Hills in May, and Unnamed: Across the Valley] and impressionistic distant hills composition which you will also see in the paintings suggested..