Bridge & Falls – Studio Variants I & II, Franklyn (b.1938), c.1980s, oils on canvas, each 36×24 in, signed.
A rare studio pair by Franklyn (b. 1938), presenting two closely related oil paintings of the same river and bridge composition, each 36×24 inches. Subtle variations in figure placement, water movement, and foliage articulation reveal the artist refining narrative structure and temporal presence within the landscape. Offered as companion works, these paintings provide insight into process, repetition, and compositional evolution.
Artwork Description – Studio Variants
This companion pair offers an unusual opportunity to observe artistic progression within a single motif.
Both paintings depict the same architectural and natural framework: a stone bridge spanning rushing turquoise rapids, a waterfall partially veiled by dense summer foliage, and distant hills dissolving into atmospheric light. The compositional skeleton remains consistent. What changes is human presence and movement.
In one version, figures on the bridge stand in slightly altered spacing and posture. In the other, foreground staffage shifts subtly in orientation and emphasis. These are not arbitrary adjustments. They recalibrate narrative flow.
The seated figure in the lower left reads differently in each canvas — sometimes contemplative, sometimes transitional. The standing figure near the bank shifts weight and direction. The bridge figures subtly alter the psychological center of gravity.
Simultaneously, the water itself evolves. The rapids are articulated with different directional strokes; white crests thicken or thin; turbulence is redistributed. Foliage highlights intensify or soften, altering the time-of-day sensation. One painting feels marginally earlier in the day; the other more heightened in light.
Taken together, the pair functions as a visual inquiry into sequence — not dramatic change, but incremental evolution. The artist appears to be testing rhythm, balance, and temporal suggestion.
The brushwork remains assertive and confident throughout: layered greens constructed from broken strokes; sculptural, angular whitewater passages; luminous falls emerging from shadowed rock. Both works are signed “Franklyn” lower right.
Presented together, these paintings become less about scenery and more about studio thought — how an image transforms through re-engagement.
Artist Biography
Robert Franklyn (born 1938, Kent, England) is documented in period gallery materials as relocating to Scotland during World War II, where early rural surroundings shaped his observational practice. Though formally directed toward economics studies in London, he pursued visual arts independently and later exhibited in London, France, and Belgium.
Public institutional documentation remains limited under this exact name; however, works attributed to Franklyn circulate within the late 20th-century European and Anglo gallery market, particularly in landscape formats emphasizing atmosphere and compositional clarity.
This companion pair is particularly significant within his known body of work because it reveals iterative studio practice. Rather than producing a single resolved image, the artist re-engaged the motif, refining human placement, adjusting spatial tension, and subtly recalibrating motion and light — hallmarks of a painter thinking through structure rather than merely repeating subject matter.
Franklyn (Robert Franklyn, b. 1938, attributed)
Bridge & Falls – Studio Variants I & II
Two oils on canvas, each 36 × 24 in
Signed lower right
Late 20th century
Offered as a process-driven companion pair
Certificate of Authentication
Artist: Franklyn (Robert Franklyn, b. 1938, attributed)
Title: Bridge & Falls – Studio Variants I & II
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 36 × 24 inches each
Date: Circa 1970s–1980s
Signature: Signed “Franklyn,” lower right on both works
Provenance:
Mitch Morse Gallery, New York (acquired in NYC, United States and Europe)
Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC
These two works are presented as companion studio variants of the same composition, demonstrating iterative artistic development and compositional refinement.
Condition
Both paintings retain strong chromatic vibrancy and cohesive paint surfaces. Minor edge wear and verso toning consistent with age and prior handling. No visible structural compromise in provided imagery. Professional inspection recommended before reframing.
Provenance Chain
Franklyn (Robert Franklyn, b. 1938, attributed)
→ Mitch Morse Gallery, New York (acquired in NYC, United States and Europe)
→ Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC (current owner)
Bridge & Falls – Studio Variants I & II, Franklyn (b.1938), c.1980s, oils on canvas, each 36×24 in, signed.
A rare studio pair by Franklyn (b. 1938), presenting two closely related oil paintings of the same river and bridge composition, each 36×24 inches. Subtle variations in figure placement, water movement, and foliage articulation reveal the artist refining narrative structure and temporal presence within the landscape. Offered as companion works, these paintings provide insight into process, repetition, and compositional evolution.
Artwork Description – Studio Variants
This companion pair offers an unusual opportunity to observe artistic progression within a single motif.
Both paintings depict the same architectural and natural framework: a stone bridge spanning rushing turquoise rapids, a waterfall partially veiled by dense summer foliage, and distant hills dissolving into atmospheric light. The compositional skeleton remains consistent. What changes is human presence and movement.
In one version, figures on the bridge stand in slightly altered spacing and posture. In the other, foreground staffage shifts subtly in orientation and emphasis. These are not arbitrary adjustments. They recalibrate narrative flow.
The seated figure in the lower left reads differently in each canvas — sometimes contemplative, sometimes transitional. The standing figure near the bank shifts weight and direction. The bridge figures subtly alter the psychological center of gravity.
Simultaneously, the water itself evolves. The rapids are articulated with different directional strokes; white crests thicken or thin; turbulence is redistributed. Foliage highlights intensify or soften, altering the time-of-day sensation. One painting feels marginally earlier in the day; the other more heightened in light.
Taken together, the pair functions as a visual inquiry into sequence — not dramatic change, but incremental evolution. The artist appears to be testing rhythm, balance, and temporal suggestion.
The brushwork remains assertive and confident throughout: layered greens constructed from broken strokes; sculptural, angular whitewater passages; luminous falls emerging from shadowed rock. Both works are signed “Franklyn” lower right.
Presented together, these paintings become less about scenery and more about studio thought — how an image transforms through re-engagement.
Artist Biography
Robert Franklyn (born 1938, Kent, England) is documented in period gallery materials as relocating to Scotland during World War II, where early rural surroundings shaped his observational practice. Though formally directed toward economics studies in London, he pursued visual arts independently and later exhibited in London, France, and Belgium.
Public institutional documentation remains limited under this exact name; however, works attributed to Franklyn circulate within the late 20th-century European and Anglo gallery market, particularly in landscape formats emphasizing atmosphere and compositional clarity.
This companion pair is particularly significant within his known body of work because it reveals iterative studio practice. Rather than producing a single resolved image, the artist re-engaged the motif, refining human placement, adjusting spatial tension, and subtly recalibrating motion and light — hallmarks of a painter thinking through structure rather than merely repeating subject matter.
Franklyn (Robert Franklyn, b. 1938, attributed)
Bridge & Falls – Studio Variants I & II
Two oils on canvas, each 36 × 24 in
Signed lower right
Late 20th century
Offered as a process-driven companion pair
Certificate of Authentication
Artist: Franklyn (Robert Franklyn, b. 1938, attributed)
Title: Bridge & Falls – Studio Variants I & II
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 36 × 24 inches each
Date: Circa 1970s–1980s
Signature: Signed “Franklyn,” lower right on both works
Provenance:
Mitch Morse Gallery, New York (acquired in NYC, United States and Europe)
Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC
These two works are presented as companion studio variants of the same composition, demonstrating iterative artistic development and compositional refinement.
Condition
Both paintings retain strong chromatic vibrancy and cohesive paint surfaces. Minor edge wear and verso toning consistent with age and prior handling. No visible structural compromise in provided imagery. Professional inspection recommended before reframing.
Provenance Chain
Franklyn (Robert Franklyn, b. 1938, attributed)
→ Mitch Morse Gallery, New York (acquired in NYC, United States and Europe)
→ Artfind Gallery, Washington, DC (current owner)
