"A Riddle, Wrapped in a Mystery, Inside an Enigma"
The Strange Story of the December Farm Painting

NONSENSICAL: Intentionally Poetic?

There will always be unanswerable questions when it comes to anything related to the personal past of someone. Like puzzles missing several pieces, the picture is incomplete. However, this painting resides in a completely different realm of mystery.

It is signed and named, yet in Woodward's lifetime there is no record of it ever exhibiting. No only that, there is inexplicibly no entry for it in his painting diary despite hanging in his home for nearly 30 years. Woodward obviously admired the scene. There are multiple chalk/pastel versions of the same scene, all with varying differences in their name that HAVE exhibited and frequently between 1929 and 1933, original being December Farm, A Winter Sketch, 1929.

The December Farm painting could have exhibited and we simply do not have the records. It could have gotten its name that way. But the name now becomes a mystery because the scene is not nearly as wintry and austere as the chalk sketches. In fact, it is hard for us to say what season this is. The hills have coloring you would see before the spring bloom or late fall after the leaves have dropped. Spring's early bloom can have many of the same hues and tones in the painting but the absence of any yellow leads us to say it can't be spring leaving us with later fall, early winter as most likely. It is possible this is December and the crops you see in the ground are Autumn or Winter Cabbage or both.

It then occurred to us that perhaps Woodward was being "poetic" with the name. That maybe "December" is a reference to the impending demise of a farm on its last legs or in its twilight. Is it possible Woodward knows something about the future of this farm and he is recording it for prosperity? Did he go back after a dusting of snow and the crops harvested to make the stark scenes of the chalks as a poetic device? And yet, as Jeanette Matthews points out in her review of December Farm, A Winter Sketch, 1929 that Woodward hints at a glimmer of hope and positivity with his glow of subtle light cast on the depressed farm.

Is Ms. Matthews on to something? Did she see its message of hope? Although we do not believe Woodward focused on hope as much as he did the promise of potential and an absolute faith in renewal and new life there is something to this leading us back to its name - the cycles and seasons of life.

It is important to offer some additional context here... December 1929 is just weeks after the most devastating financial disasters in American history, Black Tuesday, the stockmarket crash that brought on the era of the Great Depression. It is possible that RSW painted the oil the year before and went back when the farm was shuttered. Note that the landscape in the sketch is bare. The garage barn no longer has the truck parked inside it. Is this a farm that went under as a result of the crash giving the oil painting its poetic name? If this is the case, that would make December Farm, A Winter Sketch a depression era editorial piece similar to Genial Old House, Chalk, 1929 and Country Piazza, 1929.

We may never learn the answer to any of these questions. That is unless we find an exhibit where this oil hung on the walls. Only then will we know if it was, as we suspect, painted before the sketch was made and the two are a series of before (December Farm) and after (December Farm: A Winter Sketch) paintings.

A lot of our largest gaps of information regarding Woodward often appear to be intentional ommissions. That is he is deliberate in leaving an air of mystery to certain things and the December Farm oil painting is a great example- especially when it is in someway or form social commentary. The artist kept his beliefs very close to the vest. If it not for the childhood letters to his friend Helen Ives Schermerhorn we would hardly know what he values at all. As an adult he burn ALL but a couple correspondences.

His personal diaries are like weather reports or a ship Captain's logs, 'the weather today was sunny with clear skies... ran errands with mother..." There is little-to-no editorial commentary. The same could be said of his Painting Diary, he never remarks on a painting's subject other than by it description. He complained about some things and would, on rare occasion, comment how he felt on about a painting, but never the context in which it was painted. We published something recently how Woodward's phrasing of things are often misunderstood or could be interpreted a number of different ways. It is as if he intentionally leaves out the context of something or perhaps he is just simply an "a-matter-of-fact" kind of guy. He was often criticized as being too literal. And his response to that may say more about the man than us going on and on about it:

But here is something else we have learned about Woodward, he finds it poetic to hide things in plain sight. He, in fact, is not trying to hide it at all (as he alludes to in the letter above). He is simply encouraging the romance of mystery. It is there for you to find. Much the way a poet paints a picture with deliberately selected words, as does Woodward write a story in the selection of the subject he paints. Hence, the dramatic contrast between the oil painting and the chalk drawing most likely made AFTER the 1929 stock market crash and shortly before it exhibited at the Pynchon Gallery in Springfield on December 12, 1929, along with Genial Old House, Chalk which crazy enough does NOT match the description of the 1933 oil paintings but DOES match the 1929 oil, Country Piazza... and these are not the only oddities of the Pynchon exhibition.

THE MISSING LINK: An Overlooked Article

Jeanette Matthews lengthy and wonderful review of the 1929 Pynchon Gallery Show gets ALL of the attention in regard to the gallery's event. It appears in all of the artwork pages for every piece of work named in it. It focuses almost entirely on the chalks with just a brief mention of an oil painting and yet, Ms Matthews does not give any context other than to say how compariable Woodward's treatment of both mediums are. This is the second significant review of Woodward's work by Matthews. The previous year's One-man showing at Springfield's J.H. Miller Galleries is perhaps the MOST published article on the entire website. One Woodward made a special note of, writing, "A good article," over its headline.

When we start to put all these separate things together a number of items begin to jump out. The first is, that the 1928 J.H. Miller event, while primarily oil paintings (25), had a number of chalks (12) as part of the exhibit. Several of those chalks where matching scenes of the featured oil paintings. The second thing is, that the Pynchon Gallery event appears to feature the chalk drawings, however, it exhibited 16 pieces which is not that much more than the 12 at the Miller show. It really is not all that much more. However, and this is the third thing; we know from putting together a chronological order of Woodward's work that from 1927 to 1928 Woodward made nearly twice the number of chalks as he did oil paintings. An interesting shift culminating up to the Pynchon show.

We have wondered for some time the reason for this build up of the chalk drawings. From reading the two reviews by Ms Matthews you get the sense that Woodward is trying to make a point and Matthews sees it and makes it for him:

We have held the hypothesis for some time now, and it is part of the mystery and story of December Farm, that Woodward came out of the tragic Redgate fire seemingly determined to find his own distinct style and originality. A large part of that theory is that Woodward sought to make his oils express and radiate the irrredescent colors that the pastel medium naturally possesses. Furthermore, he moves even more so away from the impressionism of the time towards a truer representation, much like an illustration or drawing would do. Matthews mentions how many artist use the quality of pastel for, "delicate, misty effects," yet Woodward goes for bold, pellucid clarity and his paintings follow suit. For the first oil painting in this new style, see The Flying Fox.

Up to now we have been unable to support our theory. We have only a couple of examples where the oil painting mirrors its counterpart chalk drawing. There is a clear change in his oil paintings from tonalistic treatments and impressionism towards a more representational, detailed view of the scene without becoming too real. This technique requires more design and well - drawing with paint. It is the vibrancy of his colors and light that brings the oil paintings closer to the look of the chalk drawings.


What about Woodward's chalk drawings? Matthews points out that he is not using the medium in a commonly used technique. He is being bold and expressive with the vividness of the medium's pigment. The closest representation of the truest expression of color of any medium. This means, how it is applied is how it will appear. Whereas oil looks different as it dries and will change over time given the need for preservatives... varnishes, lacquer or what have you in Woodward's time. There is no interference between your eye and the color of a pastel. It is a dry application. The drawback is that the chalks get spoiled by the glass they have to sit behind for protection. Glare is an enemy to the appreciation of the work in both cases! Taking a picture of an early painting compared to one painted after 1935 is night and day.

For all intents and purposes, Woodward is trying to find a middle ground. A pervading theme in his life. The search for balance. The pastels coloring and luminance with the smooth, blended, finely detailed, flat brush style with minimal interference to the eye. And he succeeds so much so that there are some chalks we have images of that even confuse us-- is this an oil or a chalk?

Still, one has to ask, what could possibly be the motive behind this effort? We believe the answer is socio-economic. Social economics was a favorite subject of Woodward's as a youth. Him and his classmates discussed and debated the subjects falling under its influence as an activity on their outings. In what should be common knowledge now because we have been introducing it the matter for years now. Woodward had a great appreciation for Japanese Culture.

One of the reasons we believe is that in Japan "art" is highly esteemed. The social staus of artist ranks higher than that of a merchant and in many cases even higher than a samurai. In Japanese culture they aspire to make even the most mundane things, such as making a simple cup of tea, an artform. Full of purpose and meaning. In Eastern Culture in general, to become a "sage" is to be an artist. One first masters the skill of the pen (calligraphy). That is followed by scholarly pursuits. With a certain mastery of academic matters, one now writes poetry. However, it is not until one can paint an image of truth that reflects their distinct personality (unique perspective) that they are considered a "teacher" or Sage. Because in the East and particularly Japan, art was meant for the masses; to educate, be shared, and inspire.

This is the tradition in Japan. Some of the most famous works of art that even the novice would recognize were in many cases wood block reproductions. Copies run off and distributed to market places throughout the country and affordable to the general public and it is THIS that Woodward wanted of his chalk drawings... for them to be affordable to the general public and have them be hardly distinguishable from his much more expensive oil paintings.


The quote to the upper right, taken from a letter to the editor of the Springfield Republican by Woodward's cousin, renown educator Flora White, touches on these very issues. Flora often accompanied Woodward on his painting excursions and I am certain she knew him and his beliefs as well as anyone. We do not think her comparison of Woodward's work to a specific piece of Japanese work is mere coincidence. He was probably her source. It is an enrichment of identity and culture that lifts a nation.

The West has a very different history. Warriors are celebrated over artist but more than that, the East had inexpensive and reliable paper centuries before the West. The west were still using labor-intensive and expensive animal skins well into the late 1400's after the printing press was invented. In the west the only people that could afford paper (or books for that matter) were the elite upper classes of society even after the printing press was invented! This is was socio-economic factors directly address... the causes of poverty, ignorance and illiteracy.

Woodward in his lifetime was greatly influenced by the advancement in printing and paper technology. The Golden Age of print began in the early 1840s and in many ways is the start of the information age flourished in his lifetime. Along with this technology came the need and demand for compulsory education and public schools. Note the founding dates of many state colleges and universities and you will see, 1855 (Penn State, Michigan State), 1863 (UMass), 1873, Ohio State, and compulsory education is now being required of children up to 13 years old- Massachusetts: 1852, Connecticut: 1872, Rhode Island: 1883.

When Woodward and his family left for Knoxville, Tennessee in 1890, Tennessee would not yet have compulsory education (TN: 1905) but by 1892 when they arrive in Ohio he would attend public schools for the first time. Woodward was always insecure about his education calling it "Catch as catch can." Book prices in his childhood dropped nearly 40% of what they once cost just a decade earlier. Making books more affordable meant more people would have access to books and literature, increasing literacy. We believe Woodward felt the same way about fine art- the more accessible it is to the public, the greater the literacy of fine art and hence the advancement of culture.

By the time Woodward is in high school, illustrators are the rock stars of the art world... Book illustrators, magazines are popping up by the dozens, and greeting cards are a growing industry and grew out of the nation's post card initiatives. Art was springing up in every conceivable nook and cranny of society and we believe this it his true desire in his youth and that is to be a rock star, not a virtuoso of the high arts.

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