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Andrew Wyeth's Intense Landscapes

© Tricia Dake

Landscape artist Andrew Wyeth was born in 1917, the son of well-known illustrator N.C. Wyeth. (N.C. Wyeth is known for his illustrations of both “Treasure Island” and “The Last of the Mohicans.”) Andrew was primarily home-schooled by his father and a variety of tutors, so his father was perhaps the most significant teacher in his life for art as well as academics. His home schooling began as the result of a childhood case of whooping cough that left Andrew susceptible to colds and bronchial infections. The youngest of five children, Andrew grew up in Pennsylvania and has lived the whole of his life there either in or near Chadds Ford. His paintings are scenes from the areas familiar to him in Pennsylvania and Maine. Andrew Wyeth paints what he knows, and because of this his paintings have a profound emotional resonance.

Attempts to classify the art of Andrew Wyeth have resulted in much controversy. Some critics claimed that he is little more than an illustrator. But his art is more than merely representational. It has been classed as everything from realism to magic realism, topographical realism to hyperrealism, expressionistic to expressionistic realism. Yet what do all these terms signify when applied to the same artist? Surely in this case Andrew Wyeth himself makes it clear when he states: “Styles are a terrible thing to an artist.” The classifications have a bit of truth to them yet fall short. The art of Andrew Wyeth simply defies classification. For this reason, he was loved not by art critics but by the populace.

There is a stillness to the landscapes of Andrew Wyeth. They stir up feelings one can’t quite express. Even though many of us may have never been to the places in Pennsylvania or Maine depicted in his art, the feelings his work evokes are universal. The subjects of Andrew Wyeth’s art are known to him intensely for they are connected to his own emotional experiences and attachments. For this reason his art speaks clearly and resoundly to his viewers. His paintings can be enjoyed for their representational qualities alone or for their emotional significance.

Tenant Farmer http://www.delart.mus.de.us/CollectionHT...

The Corner http://www.delart.mus.de.us/CollectionHT...

The Blue Door http://www.delart.mus.de.us/CollectionHT...

Christina’s World http://www.awyethgallery.com/andrew/chri...

Cranberries http://www.greenvillemuseum.org/cranberr...

The Last Light http://www.greenvillemuseum.org/last_lig...

For myself, I sense a desolate intensity in his art, an appealing bleakness. I feel a kind of longing inexplicable for it evokes no expectations. What I view in these paintings simply is. The acceptance of it is complete. For even when a scene appears empty, a human presence is there. There are people in the scenes even when we don’t see them. The people may not be apparent but they belong there, inside a building or just off the edge of the canvas.

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