Andrew Wyeth

Andrew Wyeth, son of N.C. Wyeth, was a 20th century painter known for his realism in portraiture and pastorals, as seen in the iconic “Christina’s World.”

“Oftentimes people will like a picture I paint because it’s maybe the sun hitting on the side of a window and they can enjoy it purely for itself. … But for me, behind that picture could be a night of moonlight when I’ve been in some house in Maine, a night of some terrible tension, or I had this strange mood.” —Andrew Wyeth

Synopsis

Born on July 12, 1917, in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, Andrew Wyeth received tutelage from his artist father and garnered fame for his own works, taking to egg tempera techniques.

He became an internationally exhibited, award-winning artist with pieces like:

  • “Christina’s World,”
  • “A Crow Flew By”
  • “The Clearing,”
  • as well as the portrait series “The Helga Pictures.”

Background

Andrew Newell Wyeth III was born on July 12, 1917, in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. The youngest of five siblings had by mother Carolyn and father N.C. Wyeth, the famed illustrator.

N.C. was a major, sometimes frightening presence in the household who guided his son’s artistic talents and skill.

Andrew, who would do earlier work submitted under his father’s name, took to painting using regular watercolor and dry-brush watercolor techniques, eventually adopting the tempera method.

In 1936, Andrew Wyeth had his first showing at the Art Alliance of Philadelphia; the following year, he had his debut one-man show at New York City’s Macbeth Galley, where all of the pieces were immediately sold.

Wyeth wed Betsey James at the start of the new decade. Fusing personal and professional worlds, she would become his business manager and take an active interest in shaping his public image.

American Artist Andrew Wyeth Painting
American Artist Andrew Wyeth Painting

View Andrew Wyeth Paintings

Andrew Wyeth Nude Paintings

‘Christina’s World’

Wyeth garnered major acclaim with his 1948 piece, “Christina’s World,” showcasing a friend of Betsey’s who had been stricken with polio making her way across a field without a wheelchair.

He became known for both vivid landscapes and portraiture, sometimes fusing the two. Other works among scores included:

  • “Trodden Weed” (1951),
  • “Up in the Studio” (1965; featuring his sister Carolyn),
  • “French Twist” (1967),
  • “The Clearing” (1979) and
  • “The Carry” (2003).

 


 

Andrew Wyeth Website
via: biography.com