Catalogue Entry
At the 1885 Chicago Inter-State Exposition, Twachtman showed two paintings: Church at Arques, France and On the Bethune. A label from the exhibition on this painting's verso reads "Church at Arques, France." However, it is clear that the label was intended for the other painting Twachtman exhibited: Church at Arques (OP.711). Thus, by default this painting must be On the Bethune. The title identifies the subject as the Béthune River, which curves through the countryside of Arques-la-Bataille, where Twachtman spent the summer of 1884. Here, the river depicted seems too wide to be the narrow and winding Béthune, but perhaps Twachtman rendered it when the river was swollen from one of the area’s frequent heavy rains. It is also possible that the work depicts a view from midway across the valley where the Béthune turned inward toward two farms, the Grand Launay and the Petit Launay, which stood on tables in the land, with the hills rising to the west behind them. These may constitute the architectural structures depicted in the hills.[1]
Given the discovery of the painting's title, it was probably the work shown as View on the Bethune in Twachtman's 1885 solo exhibition at Chase's Gallery in Boston and the painting with the title of On the Bethune, Normandy in the Twachtman–Weir auction, held at the Fifth Avenue Art Galleries, New York, on February 7, 1889, from which it sold for $50.[2]
[1] The information on the possible location was courteously provided by Philippe Gautrot, Arques-la-Bataille.
[1] New York Sun 1889-II.