RSW's Diary Comments

By the Balcony Door, c. 1945

Diary comments for the 1945, By the Balcony Door:

"Winter 1945-6. An interesting window picture of part of the studio balcony glass door and little window to the right. Thick icicles outside and gray blue winter mountain beyond. Sold in April to the Grand Central Art Gallery for their Founders Show---and acquired and owned from this show by Mr. Edward Johnson, distinguished manager of the Metropolitan Opera Co. for his noted art collection."

Editor's Notes:

Woodward makes no mention of this 1937 canvas in the above remarks. While not uncommon, we feel like this situation is just a little different. Woodward has just moved into the Southwick Home & Studio after nine months of staying elsewhere. He is very concerned that his reputation is not ruined like it was in 1922 when his Redgate Studio fire left the prestigious Macbeth Galleries in New York City without a January exhibit-- what would be his first one-man show of such importance. His anxiety levels are very high, and what's more is that Germany and Japan begin their aggressions in what looks like another upcoming world war. You see a fairly dramatic change in his career at this time and 1937 is its literal peak. He has paintings spread all across the country... he wins awards, etc. There is so much going on it, with his stress level elevated, memory lapses are to be expected.

A photograph of the Southwick Studio's Desk
Corner taken by F. Earl Williams in the late 1930s,
around the same time this painting was made.

Of course we have no idea if this painting resembles the 1945 canvas. He does paint his desk corner area from a few different angles. The 1945 painting looks as if he placed himself to the left side of the photo to the left.


⮜ This painting could be very different in that, he could have positioned himself to the right near the south windows. That "L" tabletop you see in the photograph is a dropleaf table. Woodward could have that down, place himself and his easel where the table once was, and paint looking out the door towards the north, with great views of the balcony outside, the Clesson River Valley, and Putt's Hill in the distance. Or he could look straight out much like he did in On to the Winter Porch, (1938). These paintings were typically winter scenes...