Friday, January 16, 2009

The Passing Of A Master.....


Andrew Wyeth as he received the National Medal of Arts in 2007.
As I read the news this morning the death of Andrew Wyeth at age 91, it obscured the rest of the headlines for me. His death has marked that sadness of "one of the greats" passing.....the end of an era...as it were. His family is a long history of great artists from N.C to Jamie and N.C.'s daughters, Caroline and Henrietta. One alone has truly changed the landscape of American Painting, that would be for me, Andrew. From the simple light hitting a windowsill to the lone figure in a field or a blowing curtain.....these images give us a moment to reflect on personal memories and take an emotional path through his work that beautifully personalizes it for us. Who can deny the familiarity in our own lives of the dog patiently awaiting his master's return in "Master Bedroom" or the white washed side of a house in the sunlight surrounded by wild flowers in "Around The Corner". Yes, he will be remembered as a giant in the art world and his loving, simple, impressions of life are forever immortalized in some of the images shown below. He has been an influence in my artistic world. To see Wyeth's website please follow this link.

All paintings by Andrew Wyeth


"Master Bedroom"
















"Around The Corner"















"Army Blanket"















"Trodden Weed"

10 comments:

Barbara Muir said...

Hi Theresa,

I'm with you all the way. He was one of the first North American artists to move me to want to paint and draw.
Now his work is iconic, and will become even more so.

Thanks for another wonderful tribute.

xoxoxoBarbara

Anonymous said...

Theresa- not surprisingly, a very eloquent homage to an icon of American painters. An influence for so many of us.
So appreciative of the touching representations you chose to share with us here.

It makes one want to grab for the brushes and hurry up and live.
Thanks for this very moving and lovely post.

Art By Erika said...

So true Theresa. His works are embedded in our memories because he touched on very private and poignant snippets of our lives.

Anonymous said...

We all know those moments of simple beauty in life can be the most important, the most magnificent. How wonderful that he had the ability to remind us. To help us "re-experience".

Your thoughts and words, too, help us reflect...

Love, L

Theresa Rankin said...

Thank you Barbara...he will be missed...but not forgotten!

Theresa Rankin said...

I completely understand, Bonnie...I feel the same way..so grab those brushes!

Theresa Rankin said...

That is to me the whole deal...when you paint something that touches someone down deep....he could certainly do that couldn't he??!!

Theresa Rankin said...

Thank you Lori, he had so much tenderness in one small example of his work....such a talent to be able to capture that!

artbyakiko said...

It was such a sad news to find in today paper. He is my favorite artist. A few years ago, I went to New York to see Christina's World. It was an awesome experience, spending a lot of time with the painting to study his brush works. They were perfect.

Theresa Rankin said...

Akiko, how fortunate to see that work in person. What a thrill! We won't forget his work...