Rae Sloan Bredin ( (1881 – 1933)
Having spent time in France and Italy, Bredin was well-aware of the wave of Impressionism in Europe. He lived in a community of artists in New Hope, PA which offered an idyllic life for artists living and painting along the Delaware river. The artists created works that reflected the American landscape in pleasant, leisure outdoor scenes. Bredin was a popular painter at the time having studied at Pratt Institute and the New York School of Art with William Merrit Chase and Frank Vincent DuMond. Known for both his landscapes and figures, he taught at the Manhattan Art School and the Philadelphia School of Design.
The painting, Study for the New Jersey State museum Mural, Spring, 12” x 24” oil, is a 1928 preliminary sketch for a mural is a part of a body of work that is considered Bredin’s greatest artistic achievement: the five murals for the New Jersey State Museum. The murals showcase the animals and topography of New Jersey in naturalistic yet dreamy scenes and pastel colors, both hallmarks of the Pennsylvania School of Impressionism.