En Plein Air: The Backside of Church of the Resurrection (Oil, 12 x 9)

Church of the Resurrection is a place of historic interest in Kew Gardens, NY. The reason I painted it from its backside is not the same as Van Gogh did a church in Auvers Sur Oise. I painted its backside because its history was shown better this way.

It was first built in 1874 by Jacob Riis. President Teddy Roosevelt attended the wedding ceremony of Clara Riis, daughter of Jacob Riis. It has ever since been rebuilt a couple of times but there are still some relics preserved from the early days. From the backside, you can see the old church stonewalls and its chimney. It is said the stain glass windows are very old.