RSW's Diary Comments

Vermont Barns, Sepia

"Painted around 1928-9. A painting of Vt. barns (one with half the roof bright tin red) by the roadside, farm tools strewn all out in front, backed by piled up Vt. mountains, topped by the blue peak of Camel's Hump. The Norton Farm (of which I made several different composed paintings: Up in Vt,, In Vermont etc.) at Riverton, Vt., near Montpelier, when visiting Mrs. Dresser at her summer home, then sold, July 1952, to Mr. and Mrs. Ernest F. Goodner of Salt Lake City Utah, 2029 Wilmington Avenue."

Editor's Note:

Initially, I assumed this painting was sold to the Goodners through RSW's relationship with the National Art Exhibition held annually at the Springville (UT) High School. He exhibited there some 18 times over 23 years. Even so, after some research a number of things didn't add up: (1) it was sold in July of 1952, and the exhibition traditionally was held in March through April and (2) RSW has in his collection of exhibition programs a program from the 1952 exhibit, however, his name does not appear anywhere on its pages (an oddity, in and of itself). So how did the Goodners come to purchase the painting? RSW did not say and we do not know, but it is possible that his years of exhibiting in Utah were a contributing factor.

More on the painting's provenance:

After a number of years in Salt Lake City, this painting ended up in the hands of a California sculpture artist's second home and studio. In 2017, the threat of California wildfires came precariously close to destroying the home, and he decided the painting should return home to New England. He contacted the website offering to donate the painting back to the estate. The estate countered by offering to pay a reasonable price, and the two parties came to the agreement that the price offered by the estate would, instead, be donated to theFriends of Woodward organization. The painting has come home and now remains in the RSW estate and has been exhibited twice in the studio gallery as well as, Boston's Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, and the 2018 fall RSW exhbition, "Twenty Treasures" at the Deerfield (MA) PVMA Memorial Hall Museum.

Hampshire Gazzette, May 28, 1936

Noteworthy to the Editor of the Artwork pages: As far as the website staff is aware, this piece is the ONLY farm or barn painting that contains modern industrialized farm equipment. If you will note in the image, to the right is a close up of what we believe is a steel wheeled machine, possibly a tiller or thatcher. Unfortunately, it is hidden under a tarp. However, the tarp makes it even MORE compelling because only steel/metal would need be tarped!

BCM

Below is an old photo of Camel's Hump Mountain, Underhill, VT, of which its peak appears in the distance of this painting.

Camel's Hump Mountain

Hampshire Gazzette, May 28, 1936

By Louise Hadley Fiske from Uncited newspaper, (Possibly the Rutland Herald) in the summer of 1945

"In sharp contrast to Kopf's heavy paintings Robert Strong Woodward's Vermont Barns seems crystal clear, sparkling and vibrant in color and technique. The effect of weather-beaten buildings is nearly photographically clear and to those who are not familiar with his works, Woodward could be compared to Vermont's artist laureate, Luigi Lucioni, except for the fact Woodward's paintings show more sensitive imagination and he is not so intrigued by detail."

To the right: is a clipping from the Hampshire Gazzette, May 28, 1936, featuring a pictureVermont Barns exhibited at the Williston Academy's annual art exhibition. For full article simply click on the image.