Sundance Square. Fort Worth, Texas
The sunwashed cool days of this weekend have been so satisfying. I feel that I am finally rested from the past couple of weeks of activities requiring constant travel. Sitting outside at a Starbucks in downtown Fort Worth, I read through a journal of mine from the winter of 2015-16. Finding notes I took on N. C. Wyeth, I rediscovered the historical events that all occurred on today’s date–October 19.
On this day . . .
. . . 1902. N. C. Wyeth arrived in Wilmington, Delaware to study under the illustrator Howard Pyle.
. . . 1932. Andrew Wyeth entered the studio of his father to begin his apprenticeship as an artist.
. . . 1937. Andrew Wyeth opened his one-man-show in New York City. It sold out the following day.
. . . 1945. N.C. was killed along with his grandbaby, struck by a freight train when their car stalled at the crossing.
I feel that I’ll never see October 19 the same again.
Thanks for reading.
October 21, 2019 at 1:28 pm |
I own one painting by Andrew Wyeth — well, a print of his painting, to be exact — and I’ve treasured it for over 45 years. Some good friends of mine owned an art and custom framing studio here in Southern Illinois, and although I spent multitudes of hours in that studio, I found that there was only one painting that captured me completely and that I just had to have for my own. It was WIND FROM THE SEA by Andrew Wyeth. My friends created a frame that was perfect for it, and I purchased it and hung it in my bedroom for many years. Since that time, it has had a change of venue, but it’s still one of my favorite works of art.
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October 22, 2019 at 2:11 pm |
What a treasure you possess! You probably know that Wyeth waited months for the wind to lift that lacy curtain. I am so moved by that painting.
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October 22, 2019 at 6:47 pm
No, I hadn’t heard the story behind the painting in detail enough to know about his need for such patience. In a case like that I’d say that the gift of patience was as important as the artistic ability to replicate what he experienced at that window. And yes, I understand being moved by the painting since it has had a strong emotional pull for me from the first time I saw it.
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October 24, 2019 at 2:18 pm
My breathing changes when I gaze at Wyeth’s work. He and Edward Hopper move me more than any other 20th-century painters.
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October 21, 2019 at 9:44 pm |
Andrew Wyeth’s paintings are so wonderful, imbued with atmosphere. I always mentally connect him with Edward Hopper, the work is different but the atmosphere is so similar, full of unanswered questions. Reading your few sentences of his and NC’s history is so poignant, momentous days. As a recent grandparent myself, the last entry gave me a painful jolt.
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October 22, 2019 at 2:13 pm |
I love that you put Wyeth and Hopper in the same conversation. Wyeth had profound respect for the man, and Jo showed Betsy how she kept ledgers of all Edward’s work. Jo gets much respect for the way in which Betsy matured in managing Andrew’s collection. Personally, those two are the ones who move me the deepest in my own search for an authentic voice in painting and drawing. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
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