Featured Artwork: Unnamed: A Farm in Winter

Rarely are unnamed paintings found in the artist Painting Diary, mostly because he didn't start the diary until 1942, 24 years into his career and did so from memory.

A close up of the signature from the painting's
lower right hand corner. The heavy impasti brush
technique of his early years easily seen.

This painting dated 1918, the first year of RSW's professional career, is unnamed and its location is unknown. Initially, we suspected its location was believed to be a farm neighboring his grandparent's old home, the Nilman House. However, that has yet to be established.

The painting appears to be in pretty good condition, despite some yellowing of age and a chip missing just right of the middle center. We filled it in using photo-editing software for the sake of not having a distraction in the middle of the image. Had the chip been anywhere else, we would have left it be.

A close up of the chipped paint

It has held up well, considering it is 100 years old this year and early in RSW's career, he by his own admission, was still learning the techniques of mixing preservatives and other products to ensure the painting held up over time.

Furthermore, we want to draw your attention to the young, what appears to be an apple tree, in the center of the painting among the other more mature trees. As we study Woodward more deeply, we are finding that this is a common theme in his catalog. To him, it represented "new life" and hope, the cycle of nature itself, of which is certainly be a message he would value unlike most. During editing of the photo, the editor accidentally stumbled upon the fact that the fledgling tree is nearly dead center in the painting another theme he often used. For other examples see:
The Young Tree and The Old House
The Old House and The Young Tree
Unnamed: Stonewalls Meet

This painting came to us via the current owner finding our website and contacting us. We wish to express our profound gratitude and appreciation to them for their time and willingness to provide us images of this artwork.