Rethinking Andrew Wyeth

This volume of essays examines the professional life and enduring work of celebrated American artist Andrew Wyeth (1917–2009). Despite a tremendously successful debut exhibition in 1937 and shows at prominent galleries and museums throughout his life, Wyeth’s work fell out of favor with critics in the 1950s and 1960s, as Abstract Expressionism rose to prominence. This book assesses the critical response to Wyeth and includes essays that analyze his technique and his place in the ranks of American artists. Son of famed illustrator N.C. Wyeth, the young Wyeth became an expert watercolorist early in his career, and went on to master egg-tempera painting. His renderings of ordinary people and the ominous natural world were lauded as “poetic” and “arresting.” By the 1960s, however, he was sometimes dismissed as a “mere illustrator.” His career was back on the upswing by 1976, when he became the living American artist to be honored with a solo exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Essays offer detailed readings of works, including Christina’s World and the Helga pictures, and relate his style to those of his contemporaries Jackson Pollock and poet Robert Frost. Overall, the book offers noteworthy insight into the paintings, career and popularity of one of the most revered artists of the 20th century. Illus. throughout. (July)