RSW's Diary Comments

The following is from RSW's comment regarding The Old House and The Young Tree

"Painted prior to 1930. One of my favorite canvases but never very popular. Gaunt old windowless N. E. house with collapsed ell, behind, standing in sparse orchard, and before its gable end, a young, thrifty apple tree arising from the debris of the old house, like a phoenix from its ashes. Painted in November at the Hawley head of Apple Valley on John Howes property."

Comments on the back of a sepia print:

On the back of a sepia print, RSW wrote: ?One of my earlier canvases but I have always felt an important painting. To some, the subject matter may not seem cheerful but I was caught with the spirit of the young hope apple tree growing out of the fading beauty of the old house, phoenix-like.?

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To the right: Springfield Republican, 1929,
by Jeanette C. Matthews

The Pynchon Gallery Exhibition is one of the few exhibitions that featured Woodward's "Crayon Drawings." As many as 13 were reported to be exhibited and this website is not aware of any exhibit that featured more than this number. The Deerfield Academy, 1932 Exhibition featured 10 drawings.

There is also an oil painting of this same scene titled The Old House and The Young Tree

Regarding the
Chalk Drawings

The following is an excerpt from, "An Artist of his Time", a lecture, hosted by the Friends of RSW, on RSW by Peter Trippi, editor-in-chief, Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine, which also did a feature article on RSW. CLICK HERE to view the Article

"...the pastel works - they're just fantastic. And I'm afraid that they photograph very well but you don't really appreciate the difficulty of making them until you see them up close. That as you know with pastel, you have to be very very good to make it work, because it hard to correct a mistake. With oil paint it's much easier to cover over the error. But these are really really spectacular."

October 4, 2014
Peter Trippi, editor-in-chief
Fine Art Connoisseur Magazine