Andrew Wyeth
His works created some controversy as he was pursuing representational works in an era dominated by abstract visual arts. One critique have described Wyeth works as being formulated and superficial, but the admirers of Wyeth argued that the works contain underlying abstraction while being realistic, and possess strong symbolic and emotional currents. Wyeth is the son of a reknowned artist, NC Wyeth, who trained and educated Andrew at home, due to his frail physical condition as a child. Andrew Wyeth thoroughly learned figure drawing and other fundamentals from his father, adapting the style and carrying out the family's artistic tradition. He was also interested in art history and read many books himself, especially admiring the American Artist, Winslow Homer. His love for music and cinema also enhanced his artistic sensibilities. He had his first one-man show at the age of 20, at the Macbeth Gallery, New York, NY. displaying his warercolor paintings. All of works works sold out. He married in 1940 and had two children. He often painted his children. Wyeth's style veered to more subdued and emotional style after the tragedy of his father NC Wyeth's death in October of 1945. NC Wyeth was in his car stuck in a railroad and was crashed by a train. In 1948, he painted his famous "Christina's World" He was interested in his neighbor, Christina Olsen, who had a mysterious illness that prevented her from walking. Wyeth spent much time around her family's farm, the Olson Farm in Cushing, Maine. The painting depicts Christina seated on the grass looking towards her own house at a distance. The house, Olsen House, in the painting is preseved to remain the same appearance as in the painting and is now an attraction affiliated with the Farnsworth Museum. Andrew Wyeth died at the age of 91, January 16, 2009. His works are exhibited as permanent collections at major museums across America. This book has reproductions of over 200 Wyeth's paintings and drawings, revisiting the ignored artist, who was a star until 1960 when abstract modern arts started to dominate the realism. This never affected Andrew Wyeth, as he continued painting with passion, depicting his love for people and surroundings. |
land surrounding him, mostly based in his hometown, Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania as well as Cushing, Maine. He spent 50 years of prefessional career producing realistic paintings as well as loosely done pencil drawings and watercolors. He often did the pencil and watercolor sketches as preliminay studies for his large finished paintings. He is best known for his painting "Christina's World" a collection of Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY. Wyeth's works are collections of most major American museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art.