Oil on canvas, "Coast of France", SLL, also inscribed with the title and artist on upper stretcher, Provenance: Freemans. 38"h x 50"w and 45.5"h x 57"w framed. From the Estate of George R. Parry, proceeds to benefit Temple University and Central Bucks School District.Provenance: The Artist.The Estate of the Artist.To the Artist's daughter, Louise R. Stephens.To the Artist's granddaughter, Charlotte McKeown.Private Collection, New Jersey.EXHIBITED:"One Hundred and Fourth Annual Exhibition," Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, January 31-March 14, 1909, no. 9."Exhibition of Paintings by Edward W. Redfield," The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Philadelphia, April 17-May 16, 1909, no. 9."Exhibition of Oil Paintings by Edward W. Redfield," Buffalo Fine Art Academy, Albright Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York, October 10-November 8, 1909; and The City Art Museum of St. Louis, Saint Louis, Missouri, November 14, 1909, no. 6 (traveling exhibition)."An Exhibition of Paintings by Edward W. Redfield," The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington D.C., January 3-23, 1910, no. 2."Exhibition of Paintings by Edward W. Redfield and a Collection of Works by European Masters," The Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, New York, May 9-June 7, 1914, no. 27."An Exhibition of Paintings by Edward W. Redfield," The Corcoran Gallery, Washington D.C., March 14-April 9, 1916, no. 12."Edward Redfield, A Retrospective of His Work," Newman Galleries, Philadelphia, October 23-November 30, 1968."A Retrospective Exhibition of the Work of the Great American Impressionist, Edward Willis Redfield of Pennsylvania," William Penn Memorial Museum, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, March 31-May 13, 1973, no 48.Memorial Exhibition, Bucks County Conservancy, June 19-July 6, 1975.LITERATURE:Dorothy Redfield (the Artist's daughter-in-law), "Paintings Distributed to Heirs, After the Bucks County Conservancy Exhibition,"The Edward Willis Redfield Estate Journal, June 19-July 6, 1975.NOTE:After graduating from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1889, Redfield traveled to Europe to further his studies in Paris at both the École des Beaux-Arts and the Académie Julian. His time in France deepened his appreciation for Impressionism, and he frequently painted en plein air, a practice he continued after returning to America."The Coast of France" may depict the rocky shoreline of Boulogne, a subject previously painted by Édouard Manet, one of Redfield’s artistic heroes. The rugged hillside rises from the surf and frames the composition, while a solitary woman walking along a narrow, winding path provides the only interruption to the landscape. The dark folds of her skirt are echoed in the shadows and crevices of the rocks clustered in the foreground. Redfield’s characteristic thick, broad brushstrokes sweep across the hazy sky and the wild, overgrown grasses that blanket the hillsides. Except for a thin band of blue, the horizon nearly disappears as the calm waters of the English Channel seem to merge with the expansive sky.The scene is imbued with an almost melancholic atmosphere, a moody departure from Redfield’s more familiar light-filled landscapes, particularly those depicting winter. Beginning in 1898 and continuing into the early years of the twentieth century, Redfield frequently returned to France with his French wife, Élise Deligant, although these trips are undocumented after 1898. According to Dr. Thomas Folk, the signature, rendered in capital letters, is consistent with Redfield’s twentieth-century signature rather than one from the late nineteenth century.This painting appears to have been a particular favorite of the artist, as he exhibited it several times, especially during the early years of his career. It may also have held personal significance, as Redfield never sold the work, and it ultimately remained part of his estate.