"Painted in 1934. Painted from Keach's pasture of their twin barns, the last spring before my fire,
for Mr. Bowlen of Roger, Bowlen and Lunt, at his request, but he died just as the canvas was finished and to
everyone's surprise his widow and family refused to honor the order. One of the finest of my paintings, to
my mind; was generally exhibited and illustrated and finally bought by Mr. and Mrs. Alfred P. Lowell of
64 Mt. Vernon St., Boston---from my exhibition at the Vose Galleries, Boston, Mass. "$600 less 25%= $450"
"Fine, solid modeling of foreground, so you feel and sense the rocky earth."
"This is the painting I made in May, by the direct request of Mr. William Bowlen of Holyoke, who suddenly died
while it was still fresh on the easel before he ever saw it. It has been hoped, up to just within a day or two, that
his widow, Mrs. Bowlen, would still purchase it. She admires it, with great intensity---but last Saturday, to my
deepest disappointment, she came to the studio returning the painting. (She had asked to have it come to her home
from Easthampton,) saying that until the estate was settled, she dared not spend the $750---although that was the
price that Mr. Bowlen had agreed to pay for it. It is unquestionably one of the finest pieces of painting I have
done. The photograph looks rather dull and heavy, whereas it is subtle with delicate spring yellows, and pinks and
early green, with a lucid brilliant sky and one of the finest modeled foregrounds I ever painted. One feels the rocks
and construct of the earth elements under the thin new pasture grass. Sometime I hope you see this in the original.
It is 30 x 36."
"Sent by R. R. Express, in one crate, From a May Pasture thru J.W. McBrine, packer, 162 Newbury Street, to go to the Jordan
Marsh Company for their Annual Art Week Exhibition, held at their Department Store. Paintings there are insured during exhibition.
The exhibition is supposed to be for one week from April 7th to 13th but every year, so far, they have kept the show over for two
full weeks."
"June 19, 1935. A crate was sent to Newport, Rhode Island, to enter an exhibition held by the Art Association of Newport,
76 Bellevue Ave. From a May Pasture 30 x 36 (Exhibition July 13th to August 3rd."
To the right: is an article that just may be the detonator that caused quite a riff between RSW and his friend artist Stanley W. Woodward. Not only did Stanley leave his coastal haunts around Rockport, MA, to paint Woodward's beloved Halixfax House but when this painting AND Stanley's Halifax House painting, And Life Goes On, exhibit at the 1935 Jordan Marsh show the clipping to the left CLUMPS them together like they are brothers, and gives more attention and praise to Stanley's Halifax House calling it "one of his best".
"The Woodwards, Robert Strong and Stanley, are
related only in their approach to their mutual choice of subject matter; the shifts of summer light over old farm buildings. Robert Strong Woodward
sends a canvas shown in his memorable exhibition of last summer at the Concord Art Association. It is 'From a May Pasture,' and reveals in impeccable
allegiance to farm detail the epic of life and lazy quiet afternoons in springtime pastures of Vermont. Stanley Woodward shows one of his best canvases,
also a New England scene. 'And Life Goes On,' is a crumbling red farmhouse, too old and tired to be spruce any longer even under the encouragement of the
clear yellow sun falling on its every sagging clapboard, the artist investing this inevitable decay with an antique charm." [ The emphasis added is ours ]
1RSW could not have been pleased to be paired with Stanley Woodward in this particular
instance, under these circumstances because of the subject of Stanley's painting being that of the Halifax House. What are the chances this event in this
article would clump the two together as if they were practically brother. Woodward not only considers the Halifax House HIS discovery but his winning the
second prize at the 1932 Boston Art Club (BAC) annual exhibition with New England Heritage
is cited in a number of articles between '32 and 1935 as being his "painting of note" of his career!
2RSW gets knocked a bit for From a May Pasture having already had its day the previous
year at Concord. It feels like a left-handed praise that is really a slight- RSW recycled a painting from a previous exhibition. However, Stanley has a
brand-spanking-new-out-of-this-world painting, and possibly his BEST of all time. and And this is somewhat fair, if not embarrassing for RSW. The Jordan Marsh
show is a BIG deal. It kicks off what is called "Art Week in Boston." A lot of organizations participate by having featured exhibits of work in their galleries. This
is in fact the same week RSW won his second prize award for New England Heritage at the BAC.
3Also, the two Woodwards gets described as painting similar scenes and having similar interest but Stanley is clearly known for his seascapes and Woodward had only ever made one in his career and it was a gift to a family who hosted him at their place on Oyster Bay in the cape. Stanley even wrote two books on the subject of "marine painting" and is considered among the leading artist of the Rockport (MA) School along with Andrew Theime.
4This is the first real serious incident of another artist encroaching on RSW's particular
brand. Next would be artist John Whorf's apparent plagiarism of RSW's celebrated painting, Country
Piazza in 1938 and Yankee Magazine's misappropriation of his painting of the Halifax House (on the left) by linking it to the Maine
shoreline the same year.
5There is also a link between From a May Pasture's buyer dying before completion
of the painting and the sudden death of Francis P. Garvan who commissioned RSW to make a
series of historic and architecturally significant churches to be given to the Yale University Art Museum as part of the Mabel B. Garvan Collection of early
American crafts, furnishing, and home decor. Mrs. Garvan also did not honor the contact leaving RSW on the hook for 4 completed paitings, and several
others in various stages of completion in 1937.
6Stanley Woodward's intrusion
into RSW's area, and what RSW considered his brand also links to a story we are working on regarding churches as it relates to this painting and brand
in general. Many link RSW to the typical "New England Village and Church" but it is really the village itself, not the church. Find us a village center without
a church in New England? You won't because there isn't any. Woodward became linked to the New England Church scene through a twist of fate when the
year after he painted Enduring New England the early period church tragically burned
and the architect hired to rebuild the new church saw Enduring New England hanging in Macbeth Galleries in NYC and asked if he could
use the painting to create the new design. This then led to RSW meeting Francis P.
Garvan and the Garvan Commission. Other than the Mary Lyon Church down the street from his last studio, RSW did not feature any other church in
any of his work. It is the village center of Buckland but also, named after the town's most famous resident, educator Mary Lyon, founder of Mount Holyoke
College. The Garvan church paintings all went unsold, we believe, because he did not want to be associated specifically painting churches.
While we are sure Woodward's had some hurt feelings and his pride most likely piqued by the incident, him and Stanley made up sometime afterwards. Dr. Mark, the website's founder and Woodward beneficiary, writes how the two artist would paint together, even at the Heath Pasture property on Burnt Hill (Woodward's most personal of places). When Stanley went off to serve in WWII, Woodward insisted Mark visit him when he served in the Army Air Corps. The uncomfortable meeting is wonderfully told by Dr. Mark in his own words through the following link. CLICK HERE
One final say on the matter of this painting's journey. While Woodward claimed in his diary comments, "One of the finest of my paintings, to my mind;" it would seem to us that it somehow lost favor with him, that perhaps the Jordan Marsh show tainted his feelings for the painting. Of the 10 or so paintings he claims to be his favorites, he loved 8 of them so much he could let go and the two others went to close friends! This painting almost comes with relief that it is gone. After that remark, he plainly expresses, "[it] was generally exhibited and illustrated and finally bought." It is the word "finally" that grabs our attention. There is something disappointing to its tone. Is it that the buyer died before it was completed? That it took longer than expected to sell? Or is it perhaps that after the Jordan Marsh Exhibition, he was glad to finally be rid of it?
The Bright Side Although Woodward's experience with this painting, as well as the
other artist mentioned, was difficult and unpleasant at the time he was living it. Its long range impact can be seen in a much more positive light. One of the
factors taken into account when trying to establish one's legacy, whether it be in business, sports, politics, or art, especially art, it is not only how much influence
you had but WHO did you influence? In terms of legacy, Stanley Woodward and John Whorf's legacies are considered far more significant than Woodward's
presently. There isn't even a Wikipedia page for Robert! And Wikipedia will not let us write one due to our "inherent bias." Stanley and Whorf make a number
of list among this country's "greatest" painters/artists. The Nation Gallery website once held such a list of the top 2,500 America artist and Robert Strong
Woodward was not among them.
However, Whorf was listed, as was Lester Stevens (see Farmer's
Castle), Gardner Symons, and of course Stanley Wingate Woodward...
another artist on the list was Anthony Thieme, who also exhibited at Jordan Marsh and is mentioned in the article above, and who Woodward knew and bested in the
1927 Springfield Art League Annual Exhibition winning first prize for best landscape with When Drifts Melt
Fast. Thieme is considered the founder of the Rockport (MA) School to which Stanley Woodward is included. Our Woodward won four prizes over the
years at the Jordan Marsh Spring Exhibition- 1 first overall prize (1946), and in the same year also won one of his two honorable mentions (the other was 1948),
and in 1932 won 4th place honors with New England Origins the same week and year he took
second prize at the BAC with New England Heritage. It is just something to think about.