RIP Andrew Wyeth
Although to be completely honest, I didn't realize he was still alive.
The New York Times Article
I realize that with me being such an obviously "artsy" artist, it might come as a surprise that I'm such a fan of Wyeth's work. I see him as being in a similar vein as Norman Rockwell (whom I also like), although with a very different feel & goals. Rockwell did some amazing social commentary about "Ordinary Americans" (like in the "Four Freedoms" pieces & the one with little girl being being escorted to school by the National Guard.) Wyeth, on the other hand, put an amazing amount of emotion into his works. For all his critic's claiming he was presenting some idealized version of rural life, his paintings always struck me as being very sad & dark- almost desolate. I told my Dad once when I was a kid that I thought the pictures "looked lonely." Plus, living in a largely rural area of the state, I grew up seeing abandoned farm houses in the middle of dead fields all the time. It's not an idealized version of anything- it's just what's there.
Wyeth is also a tie to my Dad. Wyeth was his favorite artist & he had several books of Wyeth's art that he & I used to look through together. The NY Times article talks a bit about the Brandywine Museum. When I was very young & we still lived in Baltimore, my parents used to take us to the Brandywine to look at the paintings & participate in their children's art program. I particularly remember doing an "abstract" piece where we glued different shapes in various colors & materials (fabrics & paper, mostly) onto a sheet of paper. Mine had a red velvet circle on it. I also remember walking along the Brandywine River. Dad's favorite painting was Christina's World. When he & my Mom were making Miniatures back in the 80's, he made a miniature art gallery & painted all these miniature paintings for it. There were a bunch of Wyeths- including Christina's World- in what he titled The Wyeth Room. It was neat.
It's funny- looking back on stuff like this makes me realize how much my current artwork is influenced by my parents & the things they exposed us to when we were kids. That's where my sense of "art in everyday things" comes from.
I should find out where Mom's stashed Dad's Wyeth books.
The New York Times Article
I realize that with me being such an obviously "artsy" artist, it might come as a surprise that I'm such a fan of Wyeth's work. I see him as being in a similar vein as Norman Rockwell (whom I also like), although with a very different feel & goals. Rockwell did some amazing social commentary about "Ordinary Americans" (like in the "Four Freedoms" pieces & the one with little girl being being escorted to school by the National Guard.) Wyeth, on the other hand, put an amazing amount of emotion into his works. For all his critic's claiming he was presenting some idealized version of rural life, his paintings always struck me as being very sad & dark- almost desolate. I told my Dad once when I was a kid that I thought the pictures "looked lonely." Plus, living in a largely rural area of the state, I grew up seeing abandoned farm houses in the middle of dead fields all the time. It's not an idealized version of anything- it's just what's there.
Wyeth is also a tie to my Dad. Wyeth was his favorite artist & he had several books of Wyeth's art that he & I used to look through together. The NY Times article talks a bit about the Brandywine Museum. When I was very young & we still lived in Baltimore, my parents used to take us to the Brandywine to look at the paintings & participate in their children's art program. I particularly remember doing an "abstract" piece where we glued different shapes in various colors & materials (fabrics & paper, mostly) onto a sheet of paper. Mine had a red velvet circle on it. I also remember walking along the Brandywine River. Dad's favorite painting was Christina's World. When he & my Mom were making Miniatures back in the 80's, he made a miniature art gallery & painted all these miniature paintings for it. There were a bunch of Wyeths- including Christina's World- in what he titled The Wyeth Room. It was neat.
It's funny- looking back on stuff like this makes me realize how much my current artwork is influenced by my parents & the things they exposed us to when we were kids. That's where my sense of "art in everyday things" comes from.
I should find out where Mom's stashed Dad's Wyeth books.