Topic: The Wyeths

[Nichi]

N.C. Wyeth


The Glitter of Night Hauling

N.C. Wyeth (October 22, 1882 – October 19, 1945), the elder of the Wyeths, was a painter and also illustrated scads and scads of books - mostly action-adventure type books, the kind boys would have read back in the day. Cowboys,  indians, Treasure Island, A Boy's King Arthur, and the like. He wanted first to be a painter, and in his later life was very dissatisfied with his own capitulation to commercialism. He's the father of Andrew.

[Nichi]

Per Wiki: Andrew Wyeth (July 12, 1917 – January 16, 2009) was a visual artist, primarily classified as a realist painter, like Winslow Homer or Eakins. In a Life Magazine article in 1965, Wyeth said that although he was thought of as a realist, he thought of himself as an abstractionist: "My people, my objects breathe in a different way: there's another core—an excitement that's definitely abstract. My God, when you really begin to peer into something, a simple object, and realize the profound meaning of that thing—if you have an emotion about it, there's no end."

He worked predominantly in a regionalist style. In his art, Wyeth's favorite subjects were the land and people around him, both in his hometown of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, and at his summer home in Cushing, Maine.

[Nichi]

Wiki: James (“Jamie”) Browning Wyeth (born July 6, 1946) is a contemporary American realist painter, son of Andrew Wyeth, and grandson of N.C. Wyeth. He was raised in Chadds Ford Township, Pennsylvania, and is artistic heir to the Brandywine School tradition, painters who worked in the rural Brandywine River area of Delaware and Pennsylvania, portraying its people, animals, and landscape.


"Portrait of Lady", Jamie Wyeth






"Kleberg"



Islander

[Nichi]

http://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2011/06/22/in-the-magazine/people-and-places/wyeth-family-genius.html

[Nichi]

In an article I read quoting Jamie about his father's work, which is often just written off as being 'realism', he made the point that his father's work was actually abstract, and that if one pours focus into the pieces, one sees that they are actually quite terrifying [the starkness therein].

[runningstream]

the first few brought possibilities of entire worlds following beyond their wake

after reading a little of the words of others worlds following

i realize so much so how individual it is objectively

for me those first few were wonderous and alive like locked memories flooding or notes played that stirred up a dream

and then after reading the critics and art galleries and such the following took on a drabness thanks to their new description

when entering the "Art world" i would leave the collectives alone after a quick venture there

yet my expertise in that area is limited extremely its just my current whim

[Nichi]

Runningstream, you make a good case for never reading art criticism, or for never using any of those opinions as reasons to like or dislike someone's work. And normally, I wouldn't even bring the criticism up, but it seems to have been some sort of legacy in the Wyeth line to be brutalized by the critics.

I confess that I didn't care much for Jamie Wyeth's portraitures of some famous people, even his portrait of JFKennedy, but his animals have a light in them, and I have no qualms about saying I love his critters.

Andrew Wyeth is stark almost to the point of being bizarre, but I really love those paintings posted in his section.

NC Wyeth deserves a lot of sympathy, in my opinion. His was a case of choosing to support his family.

[Nichi]

But you're right, the "Art World" is a bitch. I had a good friend who was an artist, and she took her portfolio with her and moved to New York City -- the Art World hub. She was prepared for what she would face, initially, but her lack of success there forced her to move back here. It's a wonder, really, that any artist could continue painting after being subjected to those arrows. You have to bleed paint and dream color.

As a matter of fact, she painted very little in the decade or 2 following her return, and in her final days of meltdown before she died, she took a knife to all of her canvases.

[runningstream]

reminds me of the country women's association criticizing cakes 

I know which flavor gave me a sweet taste .

like those movies where the painting comes alive and you step inside . 

you either step inside or you don't .

eat cake don't eat cake .

I imagine cocktail glasses with olive sticks up their bums .

calls for a song

https://youtu.be/6lg51dzWHJE

[Nichi]

I imagine cocktail glasses with olive sticks up their bums .

And a lot of money to burn!

[Michael]

Nice selection V. I do love the windy cloth views