Dryad, Andrew Wyeth
The lovely Senna is naked inside a giant oak on the Wyeth property that had been rent asunder by a lightning storm so viciously its ragged interior looked like a brooding ancient Greek oracular cave. But the young woman inside the wintry, dried-out tree whose dying branches raised helplessly to the sky is the very symbol of life being reborn extending her arms to the new world.
From lines and colors:
Andrew Wyeth, an American realist painter who in some ways epitomized the conflict between late 20th Century Modernism and the Realist tradition, died today in his sleep in his home in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvaina at the age of 91.
Wyeth was the son of the great American illustrator N.C. Wyeth. Those familiar with the elder Wyeth’s work will know that he cast a mighty big shadow. Son Andrew, one of five children, differentiated himself from his father by working in watercolor and tempera. His quiet depictions of the Brandywine Valley countryside and the area around the family’s summer home in Maine, along with his often melancholy portrayals of residents of those areas, made him prominent as one of the public’s most admired American artists in the 20th Century.
Of course that very popularity, and the simple matter of his realist (though sometimes surreal) subject matter, and traditionalist technique, made him a target for derision among modernist critics, who denigrated classical traditions with a vengeance during their time of dominating the art world. They hurled at Wyeth the intended insult of calling him a “mere illustrator”, as though there were no more vehement way to say “not an artist”, and in the process, of course, belittling his father’s accomplishments.
Wyeth quietly persisted in the face of the post-war Modernist tides, and continued his pursuit of contemplative scenes, keen observation and command of the somewhat arcane techniques of egg tempera, a demanding and difficult to master medium that predates oil painting by centuries.
It didn’t hurt, of course, that Wyeth’s paintings were in demand and sold for high figures during the artist’s lifetime (a relatively rare thing in the history of art); and he became one of the best known American artists ever, eclipsing his father’s fame from previous generations. Wyeth eventually had the last laugh, as a good deal critical attention eventually came into line the popular acclaim after the Modernist wave had crashed and the fab foam began receding under the currents of the return of traditional artistic values.
9 Responses
Wyeth’s work is some of my favorite; sorry that we have lost his voice. can you imagine growing up in his house? have you seen Jamie’s work?
I hadn’t seen it before, but looked it up — thanks!
Some of it is much like Andrews… but lots of different work, too. Seems to have a thing for birds and pumpkins. ;^)
I see the “modernist” movement (especially in the sense of “abstract” creations) as little, if anything, more than a puerile “this is not that” thing. An adolescent saying “Dad, Mom, I’m not going to do things your way, and I’m not just going to go my own way, I’m going to say your was was rubbish.” I say this not because I have an argument with those who prefer a canvas divided into two sections, one painted red, the other green, over, for example, Mr. Wyeth’s works, I say it because they, in essence, picked an argument with me (as an example). Don’t “justify” your taste, enjoy it.
There may be folks who genuinely like non-representational “Art.” I have no argument with taste. Some people don’t like broccoli. Just as I am not going to put my intellectual spin on their likes and dislikes, they make, in my judgment, a huge mistake by putting their aesthitic preferences on others. If you have to explain to me why something you like is better than something I like and by logic and reason I should start to like what you like, then you are just indulging in sophistry (heck, ego). I’ve had friends who enjoy watching ice hockey explain why I “should” enjoy it. Hell, even a NASCAR fan of my acquaintance has indulged in this foolishness.
So . . .
My hubby makes fun of Nascar because they can only turn left. He likes Grand Prix racing.
Me, I like Monster Trucks and tractor pulls. ;^)
what a lovely image that is.
and i totally cracked up regarding your hubby’s comment about nascar! lol!
[…] seeing lots of these woman/nature/tree images lately — the Wyeth piece, on Leah’s blog, as she creates new artwork, and in other places. Perhaps it is the hint of […]
–Wyeth’s painting of Helga, Seri and Sienna are truly fine examples of unadorned beauty of womanhood!
Yes, they are beuatiful. As are most of the women I know!
what a lovely image that is.
and i totally cracked up regarding your hubby’s comment about nascar! lol!
—————————–
Online oil painting studios