Andrew Wyeth

Personal

Vocation

Notable

Traits

Family

American watercolor and tempera artist, from a noted family, the son of illustrator N.C. Wyeth (born October 22, 1882, near Needham, MA). His father was a well-known mural painter and beloved illustrator of "Treasure Island," "Robin Hood" and other children’s classics. Andrew regarded his father's death in October 1945 as a turning point in his career. His paintings had previously been clever but then took on new depth and emotion. His work evolved from landscapes to the painting of people, with the poignant body-English for which he is so admired. His famous painting of "Christina’s World," a portrait of a woman lying in a field, gazing toward a distant farmhouse, was completed in 1948. His canvasses have an utter solitude that strikes the viewer as profoundly lonely. Andrew was born in a Pennsylvania farming village. He was a frail boy, the youngest of five children. His mother was Pennsylvania Dutch with family in Lancaster County and his father was Swiss. His dad was a benevolent tyrant, dominating his five kids while encouraging them to be geniuses by allowing only the best music, the best poetry in the house. All exhibited a gift for painting and drawing and one sister, Ann, is a composer. Andrew was his favorite, a "daddy's boy." On his 22nd birthday, Andrew met Betsy James. Against his father's wishes, they married on 5/15/1940. He had substituted one ruler for another. Betsy assumed control over his life and work and while he relied on her fine critical eye, he also needed periods of escape. They had two sons. Rangy and blue eyed, Andrew became more reclusive as he grew older and famed, though he was a tease and a mimic with friends, a good story-teller. The solitude of his paintings is a reflection of Wyeth's own reclusive life, one which is also steeped in repressed anger. He is generally thought of as a realist but since his depiction of objects are metaphors, he also is considered an abstractionist. His work gained wide popularity and has often been compared to that of the Flemish masters. His first exhibit was at the MacBeth Gallery show in 1941. Two years later he was represented at the American Realists and Magic Realists show at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. For some 15 years, 1970-1985, Wyeth regularly - and secretly - painted his Pennsylvania neighbor Helga Testorf. Many of the paintings of Helga are in the nude and he was so discreet about their relationships that by the time Betsy became aware of it, he had completed 65 paintings of Helga. This nearly destroyed their marriage. President John F. Kennedy honored Andrew Wyeth in 1963 with a Presidential Freedom Award, the country's highest civilian award. It was the first time it had been given to a visual artist. President Richard Nixon hosted a dinner and private exhibition of Andrew's paintings at the White House in 1970. He was toasted as "the painter who had caught the heart of America." Andrew was also presented with a gold medal by the National Institute of Arts and Letters in 1965 and has won many prizes and honorary degrees for his work. He received honors from French Academy of Fine Arts and the Soviet Academy of Arts also. His sister Henriette died in 1997 and he died in his sleep early on January 16, 2009 at his home in Chadds Ford, PA. Link to Wikipedia biography