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An Artistic Legacy: N.C.,
Andrew and James Wyeth
June 10 - August 17, 2000
Private collectors
and museums from across the United States are lending pieces to the Peninsula
Fine Arts Center for what promises to be one of their most successful exhibitions.
"An Artistic Legacy: N.C., Andrew and James Wyeth" features art
from America's premier family of artists through September 7, 2000. The
show is one of a very few to compare the techniques and subject matters
of grandfather, father and son.
"This is a unique opportunity for the public to explore
the Wyeth legacy, since over half of the featured works are from private
collectors - fourteen from the Wyeth family," explained Lisë C.
Swensson, Executive Director. Swensson and Curator Diana Blanchard Gross
organized the exhibition of Wyeth illustrations and paintings, presented
by Cox Communications and Newport News Shipbuilding.
Each artist is renown for his skill in a particular field:
N.C. for classic storybook illustrations, James for portraits of American
icons, and Andrew for landscape and still life paintings, in particular
Christina's World. "An Artistic Legacy" will also feature
some of the original books illustrated by N.C. Wyeth and a children's interactive
gallery, Cabbages and Kings, Birds and Things, building on the book, Cabbages
and Kings, illustrated by James Wyeth.
Biographies
For three generations, the Wyeth family has played a pivotal
role in the creation of American art. This legacy of grandfather, father
and son has captured the admiration of a vast audience with their powerful
and memorable works of art, defining the image of "American Spirit."
N.C. Wyeth
Newell
Convers Wyeth, born in 1882, known as the "great illustrator,"
studied art and drafting in Boston at the Mechanic Arts School, the Massachusetts
Normal Arts School, and the Eric Pape School of Art. In 1902, he traveled
to Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, to study with Howard Pyle (1853-1911), known
as one of America's finest illustrators and art instructors. N.C. found
himself struggling to express his own distinct individuality while using
the techniques of others, between following and resisting Pyle's teachings.
However, N.C.'s art progressed rapidly under Pyle's tutelage and, in 1903,
received his first commission to illustrate the cover of Saturday Evening
Post, one of the most widely circulated magazines in the country. From
this moment on, the artist enjoyed reknown as an illustrator. (left:
N.C. Wyeth, Long Line of Prisoners, 1927, oil on canvas, Courtesy
of The Kelly Collection of American Illustration)
His most important commission came in 1911, from Charles
Scribner's Sons for the illustration of Robert Lewis Stevenson's Treasure
Island. He continued to illustrate numerous novels published by Scribners
throughout his forty-three year career. Although N.C. traveled extenstively
around the United States for inspiration, it was the subjects of those first
paintings at Pyle's school, the East Coast landscapes of Massachusetts and
Pennsylvania, that became the geographical language of the Wyeth artistic
legacy. Whether illustrating indians in the west or Robin Hood in England,
N.C. always attempted to draw upon the elements of his own life and experiences
to create convincing scenes, following Pyle's advice, "It is necessary
either to have lived with these things you are going to picture or else,
by the imagination, see them as though you had lived with them."
In spite of his success, N.C. continued to be tortured
over his work being classified as "illustrations" rather than
"fine art." The artist wanted to master the best of current trends
to raise what he considered to be the lower level of his work. This anxiety
over art versus illustration caused him to attempt easel paintings over
and over again during his life, which were usually not as powerful as the
illustrations he looked down upon. Ironically, it is N.C.'s illustrations,
not his paintings, which are considered great art today.
N.C. was a dedicated father to his five talented children,
devoting much of his adult life to instilling in them a sense of vision
combined with a tuned imagination. His family became the dominating influence
in his life, including in his paintings and illustrations, where they appear
as models. Throughout his life, he continued to attempt to pass on his strong
sense of time and the preciousness of a moment. The entire Wyeth family
is known for an ability to observe and draw upon their life experiences
to create works that inspire us to see our lives a little more clearly.
On the day of his fatal accident in 1945, N.C. passed by a farmer working
in a cornfield and was overheard saying to one of his grandchildren, "Look
at this . . . This is something you must remember because this is something
that is passing. You won't see this again. Remember this."
Andrew Wyeth
Recognized
for his quiet, contemplative spirit and detailed style, Andrew Wyeth has
become one of this country's most famous artists. His work is appreciated
for its technique, unique perspectives, and psychological insights. He heightens
the drama of the ordinary landscape through his detailed observation and
fastidious technique. His 1948 painting, Christina's World, owned
by the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, is one of the best known paintings
ever created by an American artist. (left: Andrew Wyeth, Snowflakes,
c.1966, watercolor, Courtesy of Arkansas Art Center)
Born the youngest son of N.C. and Carolyn Wyeth in 1917,
Andrew's artistic talent was recognized at an early age. N.C. conducted
his son's only art lessons, emphasizing a love of the rural landscape, a
sense of romance and a strong feeling of heritage. Due to an unhealthy childhood,
Andrew was tutored at home and was able to devote a great deal of time to
his art. Many feel his power to capture the small details of a scene came
from his father's effort to inspire his children to really observe and assimilate
their surroundings. However, as his technique began to develop, the budding
artist moved away from the "picture-making" of the Pyle school,
where his father had learned his trade, and became captivated with capturing
the feeling of the moment, rather than the drama of a story.
Although N.C. thought that Andrew's early watercolors would
not sell, the young artist was well respected for his virtuosity and had
a reputation as a successful watercolorist by the time he was twenty. Andrew's
work is often bleak, direct and economical, utilizing a limited palette
composed mainly of earth tones. Some art historians credit this style to
the artist's "coming of age" during the difficult times of the
Depression and World War II.
Andrew's life and art were also greatly impacted by the
sudden death of his father in 1945. After this event, it became important
for the artist to "prove that what he [N.C.] had started in me was
not in vain - to do something serious and not play around with it, doing
caricatures of nature." Andrew was quite successful in accomplishing
this goal and, at the age of eighty-two, he continues to produce paintings
that are sought after by museums and private collectors throughout the world.
James Wyeth
Born
in 1947, James Wyeth has said that he always wanted to paint, inheriting
a love for the pencil, pen and paint brush from his father and grandfather.
After six years of public school, this third generation artist was privately
tutored at home, where his Aunt Carolyn could teach him art in her studio
under the watchful eye of his father. James has experimented with a number
of techniques throughout his career, including most recently mixed media
with the philosophy that "no medium should be limited." Throughout
his career, he has been especially drawn to the oil paint which his grandfather
had used, saying, "You have to love a medium to work in it. I love
the feel and smell of oil." He admires and wishes to emulate his grandfather's
"sense of total personal involvement with and intuitive grasp of his
subjects." Like his father, James also works in watercolor, utilizing
Andrew as an important source of advice. However, where Andrew usually restricts
himself to the winter, James paints all four seasons. (left: James
Wyeth, Portrait of Andy Warhol, 1976, oil on panel, Courtesy of The
Cheekwood Museum of Art)
Although James is known mostly as a portraitist, his goal
has not been to merely create a likeness. Rather, the artist looks for dimensions
of personality, establishing why the sitter has been selected. James pays
special attention to both his human and animal subjects' eyes, which he
believes reflect character. Like his father, he has painted almost exclusively
in Pennsylvania and Maine, portraying subjects close to his life and establishing
a uniquely personal style that incorporates a sense of isolation, endurance
and connection with nature.
Curator's Statement
Newport News resident, Lisë C. Swensson is currently
the Executive Director of the Peninsula Fine Arts Center and a lifelong
fan of Wyeth art. She earned her B.A. in Art History from the University
of Delaware and her M.A.T. in Art Education from the University of South
Carolina.
"My personal Wyeth art history began in the fall of
1969, when I enrolled in my first college art appreciation course. Our professor
showed a film about an important American artist named Andrew Wyeth. My
classmates and I learned that this artist had inherited his talent and love
of nature, history and the arts from his father, who had been an artist
making his living as a commercial illustrator. During the film, we also
learned that Andrew was born and raised in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. Coincidentally,
this is where my parents had moved while I was away at college. I vividly
remember learning that Andrew Wyeth's art was directly affected by the death
of his father, who had been tragically killed when a train hit the car he
was driving. This accident happened on the tracks that ran by farmland owned
by the Keurner's. This family of German immigrants' farm, animals and individual
family members had become a favorite subject for the second generation Wyeth.
One of the first things I did when I flew home for Thanksgiving vacation
was find the railroad crossing and Keurner's farm, less than a mile from
my parent's home. This landmark has been a favorite destination of mine
for the past 30 years.
Two years after this introduction to Andrew Wyeth, a cousin
I was visiting in New York City suggested I go to the Museum of Modern Art.
I still remember experiences I had with three paintings during this first
visit to MOMA. Picasso's almost 26 foot long Guernica screamed out
in bold cubistic shapes that dripped paint with a vibrant intensity I had
never before encountered in a work of art. The second painting that continues
to affect me was Salvador Dali's Persistence of Memory, featuring
melting watches within a barren landscape painted in exquisite surreal detail-a
scene that both attracted and repulsed me.
Then, somewhere close by, I distinctly remember coming
upon Christina's World, on a small wall all by itself. It was not
boldly yelling for attention, but in its own thought-provoking way was just
as powerful as the other two masterpieces. This was my first interaction
with an authentic painting by Andrew Wyeth. I found myself looking around
for a bench to sit on, so I could leisurely explore and contemplate the
piece. There was no place to sit and other visitors were anxious to view
the work, so I moved on. However, I circled back for another glimpse of
the woman's frail body in the foreground stretching out and up toward an
old building that might have been her home, or was it an apparition from
the past? This enigmatic image was hauntingly captivating to me then, and
continues to be many years later.
That summer I lived with my parents in Chadds Ford and
volunteered at the newly opened Brandywine River Museum, the home for three
generations of Wyeth family art including N.C., Andrew and Jamie (who now
prefers James). My assignment was to prevent visitors from touching the
paintings. I took the "no touching" duty seriously and soon learned
I could keep people from getting too close by casually striking up a conversation
about the work or about "my artist," N.C. Wyeth. The N.C. Wyeth
floor was full of paintings featuring characters from many of the children's
classics N.C. had illustrated, almost ready to walk out of their canvases
into the gallery to interact with visitors. After volunteering most days,
I spent time on the floors for Andrew and Jamie Wyeth, looking at their
work and wondering in amazement how this family of artists could possibly
have achieved such an important body of work.
While running a South Carolina community arts center in
1979, a board member called to tell me that Frank Fowler, "the Wyeth
dealer," had agreed to put together a show of Jamie Wyeth's work. Also,
Jamie would be in town for the exhibition, as his wife owned a racehorse
that would be competing in Camden's Colonial Cup races. The collection was
small, but a great hit with visitors. Most of the pieces were watercolors
using nature as a reference - fresh, strong images, some with traces of
his father's influence. Jamie didn't make it to our opening, but the day
of the races, when I was the only staff member in the building, he came
by unannounced to see how the exhibition looked. He was the most famous
artist I'd ever met - and the most handsome!
In 1984, while serving as the South Carolina State Museum's
curator of art, I received a call from Arthur Magill the day before I left
for New York, saying that I must cut my trip short to attend the tenth anniversary
of the Greenville County Museum of Art. Arthur served on the Boards of both
the Greenville and South Carolina museums. He and his wife Holly had given
the museum an important collection of work by Andrew Wyeth, who was to be
the guest of honor for the celebration. At the event, I met Andrew and Jamie's
brother Nicholas, an art dealer and a lender to our PFAC show. Last spring,
as we discussed the need for an exhibition featuring an artist with name
recognition, I suggested the name Wyeth. With unanimous agreement, we went
to work. The exhibition began with permission from Jamie to borrow his original
mixed media paintings that illustrated Elizabeth Seabrooke's 1997 children's
book Cabbages and Kings. Then we started searching for paintings
by N.C. Wyeth, Jamie's grandfather, who was one of our country's most successful
illustrators. The comparisons of grandfather and grandson seemed a natural.
Very soon into the project, however, it became obvious we needed to create
a three generation Wyeth exhibition. Such a show had never been exhibited
in Virginia and people wanted to see paintings by Andrew Wyeth.
During the past year, we have created an exhibition representing
almost 100 years of art made by three artists with much in common: highly
successful painting careers utilizing representational styles; a devotion
to place, nature, history, and the arts; and a strong genetic bond. While
communicating with individual collectors and generous museums around the
country, we have worked hard to bring together the very best work we could
for the people of this community, our state and our summer visitors. As
we share the Wyeth works and art history, we encourage PFAC visitors (alone
or with friends and family) to develop their own personal memories through
experiences with this unique family and their artistic legacy. "
About The Peninsula Fine Arts Center
The Peninsula Fine Arts Center, founded in 1962 to encourage
and develop an appreciation for the arts, is a non-profit institution accredited
by the American Association of Museums. PFAC is located at 101 Museum Drive
within the Mariners' Museum Park. Take Interstate 64 to exit 258A and proceed
2.5 miles to the intersection of Warwick and J. Clyde Morris Boulevards
-- the Arts Center is straight ahead. Museum hours and fees are available
on the Center's website.
Read more articles and essays concerning this institutional
source by visiting the sub-index page for the Peninsula
Fine Arts Center in the Resource Library
Magazine
Please click on thumbnail images bordered by a red line
to see enlargements.
For further biographical information on selected artists
cited above please see America's Distinguished
Artists, a national registry of historic artists.
This page was originally published in Resource
Library Magazine. Please see Resource Library's Overview section for
more information. rev. 3/2/11
Search Resource
Library for thousands of articles and essays on American art.
Copyright 2011 Traditional Fine Arts Organization, Inc., an Arizona nonprofit corporation. All rights
reserved.
Newell
Convers Wyeth, born in 1882, known as the "great illustrator,"
studied art and drafting in Boston at the Mechanic Arts School, the Massachusetts
Normal Arts School, and the Eric Pape School of Art. In 1902, he traveled
to Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, to study with Howard Pyle (1853-1911), known
as one of America's finest illustrators and art instructors. N.C. found
himself struggling to express his own distinct individuality while using
the techniques of others, between following and resisting Pyle's teachings.
However, N.C.'s art progressed rapidly under Pyle's tutelage and, in 1903,
received his first commission to illustrate the cover of Saturday Evening
Post, one of the most widely circulated magazines in the country. From
this moment on, the artist enjoyed reknown as an illustrator. (left:
N.C. Wyeth, Long Line of Prisoners, 1927, oil on canvas, Courtesy
of The Kelly Collection of American Illustration)
