Edward Willis Redfield
(American, - )
Born in Delaware in 1869, Edward Willis Redfield went on to become one of the most celebrated Pennsylvania Impressionists of his time, joining the ranks of such peers as Daniel Garber and Fern Isabel Coppedge. At the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Redfield studied under Thomas Anshutz and Thomas Hovenden and refined his natural talent. Redfield also spent time in France in the , where he continued his studies and met his wife; the two of them returned to the United States in 1898 and settled inCentre Bridge, Pennsylvania, where Redfield was to become one of the founders of the artist colony at New Hope.
Redfield built his reputation by painting powerful landscapes, which he executed almost exclusively en plein air. He would often brave the elements, rapidly executing his paintings straight onto the canvas with assertive, long, thick brushstrokes that mirrored the artist’s rugged personality. Redfield’s purchase of the farm in Centre Bridge in enabled him to study unique viewpoints and differentiate his scenes from typical Hudson River views or classical European landscapes. Well-versed in large-scale winter scenes, he often revisited his subject throughout his career, always paying close attention to light and color in order to best capture the beauty and subtleties of the snow-covered Pennsylvania countryside. Redfield ultimately ended his painting career twelve years before his death in , but his legacy as a foundational Pennsylvania Impressionist lives on; his work is featured in the collections of major museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum.
