Andrew Wyeth Biography: Life, Art, and Influences

Andrew Wyeth was an American painter born on 12 July 1917 in Chadds Ford,
Pennsylvania. Wyeth’s artistic education came from his father, who was also an artist.
At age 16, Wyeth exhibited at the Wilmington Society of the Fine Arts for the first time,
grabbing the attention of art dealer Robert Macbeth. In 1937, Macbeth organized
Andrew’s first solo exhibition.
Two years later, Wyeth married Betsy Merle James, who became his manager and
curator. Wyeth continued gaining recognition through the 1950s, exhibiting widely and
receiving an honorary doctorate from Harvard University. The earlier death of his father
and the aftermath of the Second World War had visible impacts on his subject matter
and palette.
Wyeth’s later works caused a lot of controversies due to his exploration of his subject’s
sexualities. However, Leonard E.B. Andrews purchased the collection of paintings in
1986 and exhibited them the following year at the National Gallery of Art in Washington.
He continued painting privately and died on 16 January 2009.
Andrew Wyeth was known for painting portraits and landscapes with accurate depictions. Wyeth
famously employed a dry brush technique of applying paint, squeezing out most of the pigment
before layering it on canvas. Wyeth worked with watercolors and egg tempera, preferring the
medium over oils.
Andrew Wyeth was influenced by his father – N. C. Wyeth, Edward Hopper, and Winslow
Homer. Wyeth received the majority of his artistic training from his father and studied the works
of American painters Hopper and Homer to develop his style.
https://www.artchive.com/artists/andrew-wyeth/
Born to artist N.C. Wyeth and Carolyn Bockius Wyeth in Chadds Ford,
Pennsylvania, United States, Andrew Wyeth was the youngest of the five
children of his parents.
Due to his sinus problems, he could not attend public school. Instead, he
received his education from private tutors at home. It was this time, when he
became interested towards art.
When he was very young, he showed his design of a toy miniature theater to
his father. Realising his potential for becoming an artist, his father started
instructing him in art.
N.C. Wyeth taught him necessary techniques of painting and the use of light
and shadows in paintings along with the paintings relation to life and mood.
He allowed his son to create his own individual identity as an artist.
Under his father’s guidance, he started painting in watercolours. During this
time, he studied art history and was influenced by the painters of Renaissance
period. The paintings of Wilslow Homer impressed him much.
He showed some of his paintings to Robert Macbeth, an art dealer of New
York City. Impressed by these works, Macbeth organized a solo exhibition at
the Macbeth Gallery in New York City in October 1937.
This show featured his representation of watercolour landscape and seascape
of Maine where he spent time for several months. The show was successful
and all his paintings were sold out within two days and its success secured his
position in the art industry.
It was painter Peter Hurd, his brother-in-law, who introduced him to unique
technique of paintings like egg tempera. At that time, Andrew’s paintings used
to reflect his attention towards detail rather giving importance to colour
combination.
The introduction of this new technique helped him to incorporate textural
effects in his paintings. In 1945, he created paintings like ‘East Waldoboro’. In
the same year, he lost his father a street accident.
This incident left a deep impact on his mind. He expressed this great loss
through his artistic creations like ‘Winter 1946’.His painting of barren
landscape and single figure reflected his mourning for his father.
He then started creating portraits of people with whom he had close relations.
He painted Anna and Karl Kuerner who were his neighbours in Chadds Ford.
Their farm was also one of his favorite subjects of painting for about 30 years.
In 1948, his creation of ‘Christina’s World’ brought him wide acknowledgement
as an artist for his effective use of symbolism.
In 1963, based on his life and work. “Time” magazine published a cover story.
He created the painting of ‘Distant Thunder’ in 1961. In 1967, he remained
busy in creating the painting of ‘Spring Fed’. During the 1960s and 1970s, he
created a number of portraits of Siri Erickson. In this context the painting of
‘Indian Summer’, which he created in 1970, deserves special mention.
From 1971, he started creating portraits of Helga Testorf, a female model of
his painting. Through his creation of the painting titled ‘Barracoon’ in 1976, he
endeavoured to present the theme of timelessness.
He exhibited all the paintings of Helga Testorf at the National Gallery of Art in
1987. In the same year, Bates College offered him a D.F.A. In 1993, his
creation of ‘Whale Rib’ shows his emotional representation of Maine .
He created the painting titled ‘Winter 1946’ after his father’s death in 1945.
This painting features a single figure of a boy running down a hill. He identifies
himself with the lonely boy and tried to express his sense of loss and
inevitability of death through this image.
In 1948, he created the painting ‘Christina’s World’ that shows a woman in a
treeless background. The image of Christiana denotes her inner strength
though she is physically weak..
He married Betsy Merle James on May 15, 1940. They had two children,
Nicholas and Jamie. His wife Betsy had a great influence in his life. It was she
who introduced him with Christina Olson, a polio victim who served as a
model for his paintings.
On account of poor health condition, he died in his sleep at the age of 91 at
his home in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania
Andrew Wyeth was known to be a private and reclusive artist, often preferring
to work in solitude in his studio.
Wyeth had a deep connection to the landscapes of Pennsylvania and Maine,
where he found inspiration for many of his iconic works.
He often used egg tempera, a challenging and ancient painting technique, in
his artworks, showcasing his dedication to traditional methods.
Wyeth's famous painting "Christina's World" was inspired by a real-life woman
with a degenerative muscular disorder, showcasing his ability to capture
emotion and depth in his subjects.
Despite his quiet demeanor, Wyeth's paintings have left a lasting impact on
the art world, with his works being celebrated for their emotional depth and
realism.
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