RSW's Diary Comments

Greenfield Gazette Recorder
Saturday, November 30, 1928

• Woodward did not keep records of the pastels he called "chalk drawings."

Editor's Note:

There are four articles linked to the exhibition held in the home of Miss Anna Koch of Greenfield, MA. Two clippings announced the event with dates and times, the third is a letter to the editor of the Greenfield Gazette Recorder just following the show, and the last is its summation, mostly listing what paintings were bought and who bought them a week after.

This painting, Monument Mountain, was listed under another exhibit at the Koch home which turns out to be an error. Dr. Mark listed this and five other named paintings as its own, separate, exhibit the following year in 1929. Enlarging the article to the right, you will see it is marked "11/30 1928," on the upper right hand side.

We have a policy of not creating an art work page unless we have something concrete to establish its existence. This pastel clearly exists because of the writer's review.

What strikes us most about the Gazette Recorder article is that it is dated a week before the exhibit, and yet, the reporter has seen the work prior. This leads us to ask if the exhibit was set up a week before it opened rather than the week of... or did the reporter get special access to the paintings at the artist's studio? The three other articles below ⮟

North Adams Transcript
Monday, Nov. 26, 1928

Greenfield Recorder Gazette
Sunday, Dec. 7, 1928

North Adams Transcript
Monday, Dec. 10, 1928

An old postcard of the main
feature of Monument Mountain

Because we have no other example of Woodward painting this distinctive mountain located between Stockbridge and Great Barrington, MA, all we have to offer is the postcard to the left. We searched but could not find a single picture of a ground level view of the popular site. All of the pictures were of the 'monument rock' from the top and we a pretty certain Woodward did not have someone carry him up the mountain to paint. Knowing the artist as well as we do, he most likely positioned himself north of the mount, perhaps with a view of the dramatic rock formations, like state road 183 or US-7.

It is equally important that we point out that at this time in Woodward's career, he is making 4 pastels to every oil. The reason is, he is suffering neuropathy in his hands that does not give him the dexterity he needs to handle a brush. This phase in his career leads up to his famous 1929 Pynchon Gallery exhibit featuring his pastels along side oils canvases of the same subject.

A picture of the front of Koch's Grocery Store,
c. 1925 from the Scrapbook page Abbie Putnam Labelle
and her recollection of RSW and her mother, Lena
Putnam, who worked for Woodward for many years.

⮜  The N.A.D. is the National Academy of Design

We do not know who Miss Anna Koch was exactly. We believe she was related to the family that own a grocery store, Koch's Food Store, in Greenfield, and another location in Turner Falls, MA. There could be more. We are looking into it. The exhibition held in her home in 1928 is not the only reference we have of Woodward's relationship with her. She is mentioned in his 1932 personal diary...

RSW's 1932 personal diary, March 12th

Personal dairy entry, March 12, 1932:

"Very cold with wind, but clear. Packed two pictures for N.A.D. taking all morning. "Out of N.E. Soil" and "Grandmother's Lamp". Greenfield in afternoon with Mother and Julia. Mother to Moore's while Fabian and I bought Julia a dress! Saw Mrs. Koch and Mrs. Tullis on business. Letters all evening."

His mother is Mary Strong. Her and Woodward's father Orion Leroy (O.L.) moved back to Massachusetts in the late 1920s and where living with their son by 1932. His father having gone blind for some unknown reason. Julia is one of his many cousins. The two were very close. She even worked from him for a period of time.