Daniel Ridgway Knight

Rehs Galleries, Inc., New York
Kurt E. Schon, Ltd., New Orleans, Louisiana
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1992

Ridgway Knight felt that his purpose in life was to paint the people of the French countryside.  Immersing himself in a rural setting, he never installed a bathroom with running water, refused to run electricity, and viewed other newly introduced conveniences such as the automobile with some skepticism.  As soon as the artist felt an urban Paris influence overtake his beloved Poissy, he moved to Rolleboise so that he could be further removed from modern trappings.  In order to perfectly capture the unique spirit of the country, Ridgway Knight made every effort to involve himself completely in country life.  As the critic George Sheldon explained the artist was “a familiar figure in the field and in the cottage…. A hundred times he has been called upon to act as godfather to the children of his models… His habit in this regard is well known among them” (George Sheldon, Recent Ideals of American Art, New York, 1889, p. 27 as quoted in A Pastoral Legacy, Ithaca 1989, n.p.).  This rare community of artist and model allowed for such tender portrayals as Sur La Terrasse. More than stock types placed in poses, Ridgway Knight captures a moment which reveals the closeness of the country people as one woman has brought a canteen of water.  The beauty of the scene filled with brightly blooming roses, poppies and sunflowers, is matched by the fair skinned women and their comradery.  This special quality was not overlooked.  As Sheldon believed “These peasants are as happy and content as any similar class in the world…. They enjoy life. They work hard, to be sure, but plenty of people do that. They love their native soil” (Sheldon, Recent Ideals, p. 24, as quoted in A Pastoral Legacy, n.p.).