Gerry Into the Woods

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Into the Woods: Shadows on the Saco. 

Chiaroscuro opening a curtain/ stage on the Saco 

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On display

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High Museum of Art, Stent Family Wing, Level 3, Gallery 307

Fmi see salon wall display style blog here.


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to celebrate opening of Gerry exhibit at NHHS Friday, March 18, 2022. (9:30am-5pm) 
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details shown on the wma com website here. 

Especially enjoyed the details they provide, more on this later,

you can also read about it and use the zoom factor at the High Museum website here.

again I am indebted to Athea x in Atlanta for

let's start with the over all painting

Tall tree (elm?) dividing the canvas, light on the left and shadow on the right

Separate, dividing line between intimate internal view on the right, open, distant open view on the left 

Raw nature, wild on the right, cultivated, conquered, fields, open fields, domesticated, 

Similar division horizontal 

Below river, erosion, exposed roots, blasted tree, loose livestock, animals,  

Above culture, cultivation, taming the land, haying 

Along the middle on the left, 

To the left a small, intricate haying scene 

let's focus on that little bit of the painting.

Thanks to wma have enlarged details copied here. FMI see their website here.

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Surprising and rare, if not unique depiction of using what I believe to be a revolving rake pulled by a man on a horse and steered by another man.

I have done blogs before on haying bits t&e, and processes 

Although seen the item in museums, not seen it depicted before, 

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for many years I have been using art to inform history, nature and science and using multiple perspectives academic disciplines and extreme sports to inform art. 

most fine art exhibits would never display a farm tool with a painting, however, in this case, I think it would help, be appropriate. 

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insert pics from patents

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FMI here.

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another

option for that hay rake would be a horse assisted bull or drag rake. not have a gear/gizmo to flip the rake, not gather as much hay, ?

see one sold at Christies here.

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but no gear for horse to pull,

instead talk about transitioning

see shapleigh

a third type hay rakes are suggested in the painting,

the smallest bent wood, sometimes called shaker style

seen in several Winslow Homer paintings

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These type rakes make in South Tamworth NH

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insert pic from patent, rake machine

back to the Gerry From left to right, 

Man steering bull rake, pulled by man on horse, 

man in field, raking hay into Hay cocks, 

Further in the background 

Man throwing jags from haycock to top hay pile in wagon 

Another man there to set jags into place 

steeple church should be

still there

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below section to the right, 

using high museum zoom feature, 

standing man, sheep, 

ox cart, two wheeled, pair oxen 

in the background distinctive building with four points, 

Beyond high bank, ledge demarcate intervale from the higher land

Aerial photos, lidar, maps show the erosion power of the Saco River flooding, floods, 

The building depicted in the middle ground, distinctive 

Kearsarge Hotel and the Academy building 

ghi


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in the foreground 

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