Flekkefjord is in Norway. It is not known why Gilman twice visited Scandinavia, in 1912 and 1913. It is possible that he went with the painter William Ratcliffe, who had family there. The visits were effectively working expeditions, and Gilman made many studies of towns and scenery. This bridge is painted accurately, but it is likely that Gilman chose the subject thinking of van Gogh's of a similar bridge in Provence. Gilman at first rejected Van Gogh's style, but later he came to admire him deeply. His friend Wyndham Lewis recalled that he had a number of Van Gogh postcards on his walls, and when he painted a picture that particularly pleased him, he would hang it next to them.
Gallery label, August 2004
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