R.I.P. Andrew Wyeth
16 January 2009 4 Comments
This isn’t something I normally do, mark the death of a significant artist (Of course, I’ve only been blogging for three years or so, and perhaps there haven’t been very many notable artists who’ve passed in this time.), but I thought I’d make a note of it this morning.
Andrew Wyeth died today at the age of 91. Wyeth was an American realist known for Christina’s World (1948, above) and a series of studies of his neighbor Helga (below, 1971-1985). Critics have long complained that his work is little more than illustration, although shows of the artist’s paintings often draw record crowds.
Not knowing much more than I’ve already stated about the artist, I still disagree with this recurring criticism. There is, in my opinion, a depth of content by means of his composition and subject matter that I don’t generally associate with mere illustration. While not quite as surreal and evocative as, say, contemporary realist works by the likes of Patty Wickman, Wyeth’s paintings draw out a contemplative emotion far beyond a Rockwellian nostalgia — who’s works aren’t really contemplative at all. Wyeth’s painting was, probably, poorly received simply because he happened to be a realist in a Modernist world.
wyeth was a brilliant painter…there aren’t many people working with egg tempera at that level, and his ability to find the tension between description and a looser, more gestural mark (with a medium that fights against that somewhat) is considerable. the exploration and play in his studies is wonderful, and his finished pieces have a goodly amount of psychological weight (such as the pieces/ series you mentioned). itreasure my copy of the helga pictures, as well as my other 2 books of his sketches and studies.
beyond that i don’t have much to say.
I think that making a bright-line distinction between illustration and fine art is a mistake, anyway. Certainly there are a lot of pieces one could identify one way or the other, but there are also many pieces that could be classed as both. they aren’t mutually exclusive categories, to my mind.
“Christina’s World” is a good example. Obviously some sense of narrative that one could called illustration, but the depth and sensitivity in the handling of the subject elevate it also into the realm of fine art (IMHO).
Some of the greatest artworks of the Western World are illustrations in one sense or another.
This reminds me, I need to finish my years-old series on modern art, I suppose, and I also need to continue my conversion story… but I’ve been painting a lot…
I agree with your point on illustration. It ventures into that indefinable art-craft type illustration, and while those are important to a point they are usually neverending circles.
steven heller’s “daily heller” has a nice homage to wyeth here: http://blog.printmag.com/dailyheller/Christinas+Parallel+Worlds.aspx