This painting, with its depiction of a rutted two-lane track winding through an open field, clearly evokes Lexington’s agricultural roots. First settled in 1642 as a part of Cambridge, Lexington was originally known as Cambridge Farms, a name which reflects the largely agricultural and farming-based economy of the time. Incorporated in 1713, many residents farmed and owned livestock, which were such an important part of life that a town meeting vote allowed hogs to roam freely as long as they were marked by their owners. Although Lexington had long since become a flourishing Boston suburb by the time Enser settled in town, the emphasis on the natural world and the absence of urban development in this painting seems to hearken back to a more ‘unspoiled’ time in Lexington’s history.
John Enser (1898-1968) was born in Ennis, Texas and moved to Chicago to study painting at the Academy of Fine Arts and the Art Institute. He arrived in Boston in 1929 and struck up a close friendship with local artist Hermann Dudley Murphy (1867-1945). Enser settled in Lexington and worked in Murphy’s home studio, where he met Deirdre Cotter, who would later become his wife. Although he made New England his home, Enser frequently traveled back to Texas, as well as to Mexico. He is best known for his landscapes, particularly of New Hampshire’s Monadnock region, which are characterized by a vivid color palette. He also taught painting at the Middlesex School in Concord, Massachusetts and was on the faculty of the School of Practical Arts and Letters at Boston University.