During
his lifetime, Edward Redfield was second only to John
Singer Sargent for receiving medals honoring an American
painter. Of Quaker heritage, Edward Redfield was born
in Delaware in 1869. His father ran a successful nursery.
In 1885 to 1889, Redfield studied at the Pennsylvania
Academy under Thomas Anschutz. With a monthly allowance
from his family, he left home to continue his studies
in Paris at the Academie Julian, under William Bouguereau.
In France, Redfield lived at the Hotel Deligant in Brolles,
just outside of Paris. It was here that he met and married
the innkeeper’s daughter, Elise Deligant. Returning
to the United States in 1893, Elise and Edward moved in
with his family. In 1898, they purchased land in Center
Bridge, a small town in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Edward
Redfield lived there for the remainder of his life.
Redfield’s
Bravura Style of painting and his fidelity to the alla
prima approach separates him from other painters of his
time. Redfield regularly finished 50” x 56”
canvases outdoors “in one shot”…describing
his process. He painted outdoors, regardless of the weather,
producing some of the finest snow scenes ever painted.
Redfield was exclusively dedicated to painting directly
from nature. He destroyed any piece that did not live
up to his exacting standards, sometimes destroying fifty
or more paintings at a time. He was one of the founding
members of the New Hope School of Painting, which focused
on intimate regional scenes of America in Bucks County.
In
1948, a year after his wife passed away, Edward Redfield
painted his last picture. Instead of continuing to paint
with failing health and eyesight, he stopped painting
entirely. Redfield realized that he no longer could produce
the high quality of painting he demanded from himself.
Edward Redfield died on October 19, 1965, at the age of
96.
During
his lifetime, Edward Redfield was second only to John
Singer Sargent for receiving medals honoring an American
painter. Of Quaker heritage, Edward Redfield was born
in Delaware in 1869. His father ran a successful nursery.
In 1885 to 1889, Redfield studied at the Pennsylvania
Academy under Thomas Anschutz. With a monthly allowance
from his family, he left home to continue his studies
in Paris at the Academie Julian, under William Bouguereau.
In France, Redfield lived at the Hotel Deligant in Brolles,
just outside of Paris. It was here that he met and married
the innkeeper’s daughter, Elise Deligant. Returning
to the United States in 1893, Elise and Edward moved in
with his family. In 1898, they purchased land in Center
Bridge, a small town in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Edward
Redfield lived there for the remainder of his life.
Redfield’s
Bravura Style of painting and his fidelity to the alla
prima approach separates him from other painters of his
time. Redfield regularly finished 50” x 56”
canvases outdoors “in one shot”…describing
his process. He painted outdoors, regardless of the weather,
producing some of the finest snow scenes ever painted.
Redfield was exclusively dedicated to painting directly
from nature. He destroyed any piece that did not live
up to his exacting standards, sometimes destroying fifty
or more paintings at a time. He was one of the founding
members of the New Hope School of Painting, which focused
on intimate regional scenes of America in Bucks County.
In
1948, a year after his wife passed away, Edward Redfield
painted his last picture. Instead of continuing to paint
with failing health and eyesight, he stopped painting
entirely. Redfield realized that he no longer could produce
the high quality of painting he demanded from himself.
Edward Redfield died on October 19, 1965, at the age of
96.
