En Normandie 1917

Frederick Arthur Bridgman created "En Normandie" using oil on canvas. The materiality of the paint plays a crucial role here. Its inherent qualities of texture and color, applied with skilled brushwork, give the scene its vibrancy. Consider the labor implied: Bridgman would have prepared his canvas, mixed his pigments, and carefully applied them layer by layer. The materiality and application of the paint mimics and alludes to the labor of the farmhands, plowing the fields, and tending to the harvest. Bridgman engages with a tradition of landscape painting that has deep roots in art history, but he also acknowledges the craft of farming. The painting acts as both a document of a particular place, and a study of the effects of light and atmosphere. Understanding the materials and making of "En Normandie" allows us to appreciate the skill of the artist, and the lives of his subjects.