Quick Reference

Time Period:
Painted in 1948.

Location:
Buckland Studio
Buckland, MA

Medium:
Oil on Canvas

Type:
Landscape

Category:
Window Picture

Size:
24 X 36

Exhibited:
Jordan Marsh Galleries, 1947
    > Award: Honorable Mention
Ogunquit (ME) Art Center, 1947
    > Award: John Pierson prize for
       'Best Still Life' painting


Purchased:
Mrs. Sidney Trattner

Provenance:
N/A

Noteworthy:

"Sent in May, 1948, to Jordan Marsh Exhibition in Boston where it received a miserable "Honorable Mention" (but no prize as em wanted).."RSW


Related Links

Featured Artwork: Out The North Window

RSW's Diary Comments


The Ruby Glass Mug, a gift from
The Ruby Glass Mug, a gift from Geo. D. Dresser

"Painted in 1948. Section of my north window shelf (in slanting composition) with falling snow and winter barns outside, part of my garage, barn with bird-feeder and blue window, my faded yellow barn with gray barnyard ell and pointed picket fence and bar way, and Mr. Gould's barn above the big old Hubbardston tree, all in deep snow, and, as I say, with more snow falling. On the long shelf, to the right a tin pan of red apples (one or two on the shelf), the large English ivy plant at the edge of which (right center) the intense hunter's green bottle (same as in Feb. Window ) beside which rests a small square topped, round-bottomed cranberry glass, with to the right of that, my precious ruby glass mug (Dresser gift). To the right, running out of and stopping the composition, against the dull red window curtain are the old white glass 'banjo' bottle and a suggestion of the tin lanthorn. Sent in May, 1948, to Jordan Marsh Exhibition in Boston where it received a miserable 'Honorable Mention' (but no prize as I wanted) and direct from there (though Mr. Brine) to Ogunquit Art Center, (Ogunquit, Maine) for the summer show (28th Annual National Exhibition of Paintings, 1948) not ending till Sept 6th. Sold from the above exhibition to Mrs. Sidney Trattner, 1210 Confederate Avenue. Richmond, Virginia."


1948 Ogunquit Exhibition Program and Ballot
1948 Ogunquit Exhibition
Program and Ballot

Editor's Note:

First let us point out that this is one of the longer diary entries, if not the longest. We are surprised by Woodward's remark's about the painting receiving honorable mention recognition at the Marsh exhibit. We imagine he was simply disappointed but also note he says nothing about the First Place prize for best "Still Life" at the Ogunquit show. Both the Marsh and Ogunquit exhibitions are big deals in this time. This isn't just hanging in a department store in Boston. The Jordan Marsh exhibition is the largest of the year and Marsh is a sponsor of the event that launches what was traditionally know as "Art Week" in Boston. Art Week is city-wide showcase of the arts coordinated by numerous organizations, including the Boston Art Club (where RSW often also had a painting showing), the Museum of Fine Arts, many of the galleries in town, just to name a few.

The Ogunquit exhibition is bigger than one may think. For one thing, there is a large contingent of people who vacation or simply "summer" in Maine. For another, it is a pilgrimage of sorts for artist to make their way to Mohegan Island in Maine and paint, much the way impressionist artists flocked to the beaches of Normany to paint. In jest somewhere in the website after reading an article about when artist Andrew Wyeth got his first car in 1926. The first thing he did was drive straight to Maine stopping for a brief time in Newport, RI, whereas the first place Woodward drove to was Heath. Anyway, there are numerous artist colonies and what have you in the area. The 1948 exhibition hung 235 oil paintings by very famous and popular artist, including, Rockwell Kent, Anthony Thieme, F. Ballard Williams, Frank Vining Smith, Rudolph F. Ingerle, Louis Bouché, and one of the finest watercolorist of the time Minna Walker Smith. This event is among the the most prestigious in all of New England. While we do not know who received the four other awards, for Woodward to be one of those honored is something, and yet still, he makes NO mention of it in his painting diary.

We believe the reason may be that Woodward did not consider his Window Picture paintings "true" Still Life paintings. In fact, his first professional Window Picture painting was named quite literally, The Window: A Still Life and Winter Scene. These paintings are as much about the scene outside the window as they are what decorates it.


Additional Notes


Sept. 24, 1948, Greenfield Recorder Gazzette
Sept. 24, 1948, Greenfield
Recorder-Gazzette

The article to the right reporting on the honors this painting received, cites "three public awards" for this painting but only mentions two. First lets straighten out the two mentioned. The article incorrectly names two awards received at the Ogunquit event. As you can see from the ballot above, the "First Place in Still Life" award is also categorized as the "Fifth Place prize" which could be considered a placement of honorable mention. But here you can also see where Still Life paintings rank among the offerings. But we also can't help noticing that there is NO category for portraits, once the most esteemed artform, maybe now falling out of fashion.


Woodward states himself he received the Honorable Mention from the Jordan Marsh show. So what is the third honor? We are not sure unless the reporter of the article counted two honorable mentions, one each for the Marsh and Ogunquit events and added the First Place Still Life, falling to mention the honorable mention at the Marsh show entirely. There is also the possibility that the reporter counted his entry in the Marsh exhibit as an honor. Really, we think he just got confused. His copy should have read:

'...In late May this canvas was shown at the Jordan Marsh exhibition in Boston where it was awarded an Honorable Mention. From Boston it went to the art center in Ogunquit. Me., an exhibit which continued until Sept. 20. After three weeks, at this Ogunquit exhibit, Woodward received word this painting was awarded the John Pierson prize of $25 for the best still life in the exhibit, received by popular vote. The painting has been purchased by a Richmond, Va, woman and will remain in the exhibit until its closing.'