Remembering Andrew Wyeth
Chadds Ford, PA January 16, 2009 – Andrew Wyeth, often referred to as America’s most famous artist, died in his sleep at his home in Chadds Ford, surrounded by his family early this morning, after a brief illness. Wyeth, 91, was painting until recently, with some new works exhibited at the Brandywine River Museum in 2008. (Photo above by Bruce Weber.)
We invite you to leave your comments about him and his work .
Click here to visit the Andrew Wyeth Memorial Donations page.
Andrew Wyeth Remembrance 
January 16, 2009 at 4:31 pm
Andy has touched so many lives through the years. He will be dearly missed. I will keep Betsy, his family, and the Brandywine family in my prayers.
January 16, 2009 at 4:49 pm
I grew up in Chadds Ford and always thought of Andrew Wyeth as “my” artist. With school trips to the Brandywine River Museum twice a year, Andrew and his family’s work shaped my view of aesthetics and artistic impression. My journey with him went from trips to the museum as a child, sneaking across his land as a teenager to get to the best waterspot, studying him as a student of art history, to appreciating his non-Brandywine Valley work, as an adult, after my own move to Maine. I am sad at his passing, feel priviledged to have him as my first exposure to art, and will raise a celbratory glass to his life and achievements.
January 16, 2009 at 4:51 pm
I think Andrew was one of the greatest artists of our time. His paintings have such inner, private feelings, and he painted with his heart and not what others thought he should. I saw his exhibit in Chicago many, many years ago and hope someday to visit Chad’s Ford. It’s a sad day.
January 16, 2009 at 4:52 pm
I’m sure Andy’s sitting with N.C. somewhere, talking shop, and laughing that great laugh.
All our thoughts with the Wyeth family at this time.
–Bob (ArtBlogByBob.blogspot.com)
January 16, 2009 at 4:54 pm
what a gifted, wonderful man who provided the world with images that spoke to everyone… you were (and still are) an inspiration! brilliant. funny. unique…
thank you andy for an incredible life and legacy… godspeed.
my thoughts and prayers go out to the rest of the wyeth family…
January 16, 2009 at 4:55 pm
I am so sad to hear of the death of Andrew Wyeth, a man I have loved at an Atlantic distance for 40 years. Although I never met him his work has invaded my deepest emotional world and I find few words to describe the experience. I often felt as though I were an unobserved intruder in his very private world. I even dreamt about him recently and prayed for him in the dream. Every visit to the wonderful Brandywine River Museum from Ireland was a pilgrimage of sorts – meeting ‘Frolic’ Weymouth, Helga, Karl Kuerner Jr, and others among the staff who became friends.
Fergus Ryan, Dublin, Ireland
January 16, 2009 at 4:55 pm
i have been an admirer of his work for many years and made a trip to Madison, GA to see some of his preliminary pencil sketches.
His talent will be missed in these times of turmoil
January 16, 2009 at 4:56 pm
I´M SORRY FOR YOUR DEAD, I LOVED ANDREW´S ART.
HE WAS AN SPECIAL AND SPIRITUAL MAN.
January 16, 2009 at 4:57 pm
The art of Andrew Wyeth has inspired me throughout my entire life. When I was only 6 or 7 years old, I remember staring at the frozen ice at the edge of a pond and marveling at the paralyzed aind bubbles and captured dead leaves and debris. I was fascinated by the “still-life” it contained. When I was first exposed to Wyeth’s work and saw his painting of frozen ice I felt an almost mystical connection to his soul the magical secrets of the art world had been opened up for me. I am now past 50 years old, and I have persued the arts for most of those 50 years. I lived in Chadds Ford for a time, studied under Karl Kuerner, a student himself of Caroline Wyeth, and am now not only painting landscapes, but creating them as a practicing landscape architect. This man has forever changed my life and that of many, I am sure. His art will live forever.
January 16, 2009 at 4:59 pm
I just wanted to say, that many years ago on my Birthday, I went to see the Helga Exhibit. It was such a fabulous collection. I was looking at the paintings and an woman I did not know, was next to me. We commented on the paintings, and looked at the paintings together. I never knew her name and she did not know me, but we connected because of the paintings. Andrew Wyeth was an awesome painter. The helga paintings touched me.
January 16, 2009 at 5:01 pm
I first saw Christina’s World at a poster sale as I hurried thru the campus center at UMass Amherst in 1972. It stopped me in my tracks and I asked the chap who had painted this wonderful piece. Christina stayed on my walls thru college and now lives with my family in California to this day. Thank you Andrew…
January 16, 2009 at 5:05 pm
Although I never got the chance to meet Andrew, his work and stories are such an important part of my life. Even in the darkest moments of my life did I find comfort in the poetic beauty of his work. He is immortal in that respect as he will continue to inspire others. I am forever in gratitude for how he has enriched my life. Thank you Andrew Wyeth for making the world a better place.
January 16, 2009 at 5:10 pm
I had great art teachers in high school who taught me about him, and I’ll never forget the Helga Exhibit. He will be missed, and remembered for and through his great art.
January 16, 2009 at 5:11 pm
I first heard of Andrew Wyeth during an “Art Goes to School” presentation in elementary school (about 15 years ago) from an instructor who apparently knew the Wyeths personally to some degree. She talked so much about the family and their ties to Chadds Ford which fascinated me because it was so close to home. From her stories I developed a romanticized notion of the place and the Wyeths who lived there going back to the days of N.C. (and who doesn’t love Treasure Island?!)
Years later when I could drive I learned the Wyeths are buried 5 minutes from my home and made many trips there to find the family plot until I finally found it and made a connection with these figures from childhood.
I have since graduated college and now work, someone in the office just exclaimed that Andrew Wyeth died. It was sad news to hear because it makes me realize how we are losing the last of the greats and such a powerful local figure. Christina’s World is undoubtedly a masterpiece for the ages. Just a month or two ago I found myself reading a biography of Mr. Wyeth I found through google and webpages detailing some of the locations in the area he used to paint such as Mother Archie’s Little Africa and Ring Road.
He was one of those figures I hoped would hang around forever. While I never met you, you will be missed.
January 16, 2009 at 5:11 pm
I was sitting and reading the large AW book last night and thought of how his work has influenced my life. I always search the internet to see a new painting of his. I never met him but there will be no one like him again. Contemporary art has lost it’s master of masters.
January 16, 2009 at 5:12 pm
I am a contemporary realist artist and a year ago I bought my first Andrew Wyeth book. Since that day I have become an admirer of his work both because of the enigmatic atmospheres he created and because of its raw human sincerity. Its a loss that leaves a void in the art world.
Scott Kiche
January 16, 2009 at 5:14 pm
I have admired the works of Andrew Wyeth for as long as I can remember. I married James Allen Wyeth in 1972 and am proud to carry the surname of a family of such great painters.
I have always been involved with the arts and in the past few year have begun watercolor painting. Inevitably I become involved discussions with my instructors about Andrew Wyeth. They all hold Andrew Wyeth works in high regard.
He be missed by art lover the world over.
January 16, 2009 at 5:14 pm
I send my condolences to the Wyeth family at the loss of their dear, Andrew. I went to the Brandywine Museum for the first time in Dec. with family who have lived in the area for many years. I have had a copy of Christina’s world for many years. On our visit we had the priviledge to see Victoria Wyeth take a group of visitors on a tour of the museum. It was so special to hear her share details of the background of each and every work of art and to hear her talk so lovingly and animated of her grandfather and her family. Also, sharing how she had made toast for him just that morning. I look forward to bringing my children to the museum to view and appreciate the works. Andrew Wyeth will be sorely missed.
January 16, 2009 at 5:22 pm
His painting Scare Crow was my first to ever see. To me it look like a cross in a empty field it move me to serve Gods, fogotten children, for 40 years a copy of it has travel to the urban gettos of America, Korea, Japan, United Kingdom, and Palistine. Jamie, I meet many times in the Mitchells store where I supported my work in the city such a kind person. My prayers for him and all the family. “Scare Crow” was not just a great painting it is a call to sevre thank-you Andrew Wyeth now go paint the clouds and sky for the MASTER ARTIST and us. God Bless, Archbishop Gary Morganstern
January 16, 2009 at 5:22 pm
Andrew’s work shall live on, my condolences to his family. I am familiar with his legacy of art and the Wyeth’s colorful family. I feel Andrew was able to achieve what his father (N.C.) had always longed for in the Art community, yes he was a Fine Artist.
January 16, 2009 at 5:33 pm
Andrew Wyeth shared his vision of the world with us.He didn’t care whether we accepted or rejected it. Perhaps that is why his images are so masterful and strong.He played to no audience. He just created his art as he saw it.
Thats what made him so great.
Thank you Mr. Wyeth-God speed
January 16, 2009 at 5:33 pm
About a decade ago, I attended an art exhibit in Marietta, Georgia, featuring the work of N.C., Andrew, and Jamie Wyeth, all of whom were clearly masters of their art. We are all made poorer by the passing of Andrew . . . but how much richer he made each of our lives! Thank you, Andrew Wyeth, for all the beauty you have brought to us over the course of your long life.
January 16, 2009 at 5:34 pm
I was given a copy of Christina’s World when I was 14 years old. I spent hours looking and reading this book. I dreamed myself into those pictures.
I am sad to hear of his passing and I wish his family peace and comfort.
January 16, 2009 at 5:40 pm
My condolences to the Wyeth family. Andrew Wyeth was an inspiration to my own art, as I have admired his work long before I knew I would also become an artist. We visited the Brandywine Museum in October 2008 for the first time. What a treat to listen to an enthusiastic Victoria tell the stories behind some of the Wyeth paintings. It was perfect. Another trip years ago included a visit to the Hurd gallery in New Mexico and meeting his nephew Micheal Hurd. This talented family has lost a great patriarch. He will be sorely missed. Godspeed Andrew, we look forward to your sunsets!!
January 16, 2009 at 5:43 pm
I’m sure Andy’s vibrant spirit will never leave the places and people he loved so deeply through his art. He’s left us so much that was dear to him. My condolences to his family and friends.
January 16, 2009 at 5:44 pm
I am deeply saddened today by the news of Andrew Wyeth’s death. To me Andrew Wyeth was one of the greatest artists of all time. When my husband and I traveled to Maine, we visited the Farnsworth Museum, even though I knew and loved his work it was there, that I fell in love with him, the man and the artist. For me, Andrew Wyeth lives on through his beautiful works of art in my home. My collection of Andrew Wyeth’s prints that hang on most walls of my home bring me enormous amounts of joy each day. I will be forever grateful for him.
January 16, 2009 at 5:44 pm
Andrew Wyeth is gone ! – Think about it.
January 16, 2009 at 5:46 pm
I attended my first art show at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in the mid 1960s when I was just 17 years old – it was a show of Andrew Wyeth’s work. I so enjoyed seeing his work up close and personal and still enjoy the show catalog purchased on that day. I have since enjoyed numerous shows of Andrew Wyeth over the decades. Andrew Wyeth masterfully captured rural settings and at the same time could draw you down a rutted road leaving the observer wondering what was happening in that barn. One could almost feel the breeze from those lace curtains. His work has inspired me and given enjoyment to me and members of my family. Thank you, Mr. Wyeth for sharing your work and life with us.
January 16, 2009 at 5:46 pm
Throughout much of the twentieth century the world of art was highjacked by narrowminded critics who downplayed and disrespected the talent, skills, and artisitry of painters such as Weyth. Only upon loosing these artists to anals of history will we recognize the depth of their contribution and our loss at their passing.
January 16, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Andrew Wyeth and his works were and are a wonderful and easy transition from the ever so tangible reality of the day to the lofty and often seemingly unapproachable world of art. Everyman, and an artist for everyman, Andrew’s departure has left a void which may never be filled.
Godspeed, and many thanks for all that you have left behind.
January 16, 2009 at 5:52 pm
Farewell Sir Andy….a good long run….go with God. He was my guy. This macho he-man unashamedly loves the entire Wyeth family. His work was personally transformational for me. He was a nature shaman. I’ve spent many an hour absorbing the sublime spirit he embodied in his work at the Olson House in Cushing, Maine….a wing of the Rockland Art Museum. Smelling the ocean smells….marvelling at the coastal light….the dory in the rafters….the flowers in the kitchen window….thinking of poor disabled Christina and her loving caring husband Carl. Andy lived with them and all his sketches etc. from his Olson stay are now in Japan. I recommend all Wyeth afficionados make a pilgrimage there….meditiate in the surrounding fields and gaze out the magic upstairs windows. It’s a holy spot. My deepest condolences to his family and to all who feel the grief I personally feel today. God Bless all.
January 16, 2009 at 5:53 pm
Thank you for touching my life through your inspirational work, your humanity, and for the legacy you left. Godspeed, Andrew Wyeth.
January 16, 2009 at 5:54 pm
My wife and I have been awed and inspired by the art of Andrew Wyeth for years. We visit the Brandywine Museum regularly and have always been struck by the power and truth in his various works. In reading his comments that accompany these paintings it becomes clear that he was truly an original and his own man. Our condolences to his family and friends; he will be greatly missed.
January 16, 2009 at 5:56 pm
My condolences to the Wyeth family for their loss. And a special thanks to
Mr. Wyeth who unknowingly mentored my own art through his vast body
of work with his ability to see ‘more’ in the simplest of subjects. He leaves us with his wonderful work from a life well spent. Thank you.
January 16, 2009 at 5:59 pm
There will be no more new Andrew Wyeth paintings. That is so sad. He just kept getting better and better. I visited the Brandywine Museum on my birthday in November 2008, and was once again moved to my soul by the beauty of his work. His paintings aren’t flashy or immediately impressive: instead, they reward a good, long look because of their meticulous detail and thoughtful, contemplative mood. There was one painting of the inside of a spring house, with a few cows seen through a window, that I kept coming back to so I could look at it some more. It is endlessly amazing to me that Mr. Wyeth saw so much when he looked at mundane things, and showed them to us so commandingly that we are compelled to slow down and see them too. Thank you, Mr. Wyeth, for showing me how much beauty and wonder there is in everyday surroundings; having seen your work, my world has never been the same.
Eileen Vance
Baltimore, MD
January 16, 2009 at 6:00 pm
I owe alot of my technique with painting to the influence of Andrew Wyeth.
I came close to meeting him on one of my trips to Chadds Ford. I will begin a new painting today in his memory. Thank you Andy!!!
January 16, 2009 at 6:04 pm
I feel like I just lost one of my own family. I am twenty-nine and have been looking at books on Wyeth since I first started painting at age thirteen. I study his works nearly every week – his ability to paint past what is visible to the soul of things. He was a man of more then great talent, he was a man of pure soul – and he was willing to share it in his works. This is a sad day not just for his family, but he entire world.
January 16, 2009 at 6:06 pm
I am saddened to learn of Andrew Wyeth’s passing this morning. Whether it is his paintings of his native Chadds Ford area, or those illustrating the quiet solitude of the Maine coast, his art strikes a deep chord in me that will continue to resonate for years to come. Andrew Wyeth will always be with us through his art and and his passion for the land, the sea, and the common people tied to them.
January 16, 2009 at 6:09 pm
When I was in fifth grade a teacher of mine showed the class a film about Andrew Wyeth. It strongly caught my attention and ever since I have always recalled that moment never knowing then that one day I would seriously focus my life on painting and drawing. One day in my twenties I made it from California to the Brandywine Museum in a car, back in 1980 I think, and I was so inspired and moved by all that my eyes and my spirit were having the privilege to feast on. It was a dream come true, like walking into a sacred temple adorned with precious art works. The whole Wyeth family is nothing but inspiration to any artist, Andrew was its spokesman through his beautiful interpretations of his deepest and most sincere experiences, I love that he loved life to fullest and never quit, never gave up, just kept on painting to the end. What an example! The world has lost an exceptional artist, one of the very great ones. We will all miss your beautiful work and boundless energy. To his family I send my deepest condolences. Andrew, you will live on forever in our hearts and in our eyes through your paintings. Thank you for your beautiful and powerful work.
January 16, 2009 at 6:10 pm
I have loved the art of Andrew Wyeth for as long as I can remember. A visit to the Farnsworth has always been part of my yearly pilgrammage to Maine. The world will be a far lesser place without Andrew Wyeth. My thoughts are with his family and friends – how lucky they have been to have had him in their lives for so long.
January 16, 2009 at 6:10 pm
Many years ago, my high school art teacher spoke to our art class about her visit to view “Christina’s World”. Her comment, “I was standing there looking at the piece and I cried”. Living near Greenville, SC, I’ve had the privilege to be able to view his work at the museum anytime I wanted. And I have spent many hours standing in amazement looking at his paintings. The news of his passing brings back those words that first introduced me to his work…”I cried”. Thank you Andrew for sharing.
January 16, 2009 at 6:11 pm
My wife and I were born and raised in the Brandywine Valley and have loved the work of Andrew Wyeth, along with those of his father NC and son Jamie. Our collection includes many of their works. As we have moved around the country, we have greatly enjoyed sharing the beauty of these pieces with many who had never seen nor heard of Andrew Wyeth. They also bring back fond memories of our childhood home. Stone walls, rolling hills, and iconic portraits. Andrew Wyeth is an American treasure and those of us who were fortunate enough to live in Chester County, we were able to connect with his work on personal level. We will miss him greatly.
January 16, 2009 at 6:17 pm
Wonderful artist who gave us the opportunity to see the world through his eyes. Can’t recall when I first became aware of Andrew Wyeth’s paintings but it was many, many years ago. Trips to the Brandywine River Museum have always been special and part of the of it was being able to see the surrounding countryside that was part of his work. The Farnsworth Museum is worth the journey in order to see more of his extraordinary work. Wyeth’s paintings looked like no other because of his technique and his ability to convey bleakness, cold, and cold warmed by a wintry sunlight. His works, to me, have the feeling of another world.
My favorite work of his is: The Witching Hour — beautiful technically and spellbinding in it’s suggestion.
This is a sad day for anyone who loves art.
January 16, 2009 at 6:17 pm
I first encountered the mystical world of Andrew Wyeth years ago, at an exhibit while living in Boston, and inspired by his work, have had a copy of “Groundhog Day” on my wall, next to my computer. Since then i have followed his work, occasionally purchased other reproductions and last year was thrilled to visit the exhibit at the High Museum in Atlanta to see the classics as well as new stuff I hadn’t had the pleasure of, yet. Here, today, gazing at the eternally lovely view of a cold, sunny winter’s day out my window, and turning slightly to see a visualization of the same essential view out of the Kerners window, I am so grateful for Andrew’s ability to touch my life. Go with Grace, Andrew, we will all miss you.
January 16, 2009 at 6:20 pm
Andrew was a great person. Growing up in North Wilmington, Delaware as a kid, I got to know his work. Going on drives through the valley between Delaware and Pennsylvania are some of the backdrops of Andrews creative world. What a great painter. He will be misses but mostly remembered.
January 16, 2009 at 6:23 pm
Andrew Wyeth presented life in ways that made it safe for me to recognize my own emotions.
Thank You Mr. Wyeth and to those who surround you.
January 16, 2009 at 6:25 pm
It’s a sad day indeed as I learned about Andrew Wyeth’s passing. He’s always been my favorite artist. Today, we mourn the art world’s loss and the loss of a bygone era that slips away with each passing day. Only Andrew could capture the Pennsylvania and Maine landscapes, people, and life with such imagination and emotion. I believe that is the gift he leaves behind – the ability to forever stir that emotion and longing for the places and people he painted. Each of us sees something about ourselves as we look at his artwork. My thoughts and prayers are with Betsy, Jamie, and the entire Wyeth family during this difficult time.
January 16, 2009 at 6:27 pm
I saw “Christina’s World” for the first time when i was a little girl looking through an art book back in 1970 something. It struck me then and to this day speaks volumes to me. Interestingly enough I am drawn to the work of Winslow Homer the same way. I learned to love art because of the incredible insightful talents of artists, especially gifted ones such as Mr. Wyeth. Thank you and god speed to your next canvas out there.
January 16, 2009 at 6:27 pm
I too send my condolences to the Wyeth family.
Andrew,
We never met, though your work and visiting the places you made your art I feel I know you. I have made many trips to Brandywine, and to the Kuerner Farm and the area, trying to look through your eyes. Your work has been a insperation for me and countless thousands. I’m sad to think we will never meet…maybe in another time. Good bye old friend. You will be missed
January 16, 2009 at 6:31 pm
My sincerest condolences to the Wyeth Family, he truly will be missed. The art world has lost an icon today.
January 16, 2009 at 6:34 pm
I have always been so impressed by Andrew Wyeth;s works. There was something special about the countrysides he painted and also the family that were a part of his work. When an artist touchs your soul in the manner that was his. it is something so special. I remember seeing his exhbit at the Metropolitn Museum and could have spent hour just observing all his work. I visited Maine and have a picture of his home up there on the island. He has had a good long life and has been appreciated by so many. Of course there will always be critics who would dismiss him, but that was their problem. I sometime think of a great deal of art that doesn’t touch me at and others rave. It is so good that we are all so different and thata all artist can be approved by people who see their worth. He was his own man and worked as things appeared to him and they were worthy of his talent.
January 16, 2009 at 6:35 pm
I’m very saddened to have woken up this morning and find the world has lost an extraordinary, one-in-a-billion talent. I’ve never felt so connected to an artist’s work in my life before my discovery of Wyeth’s work. His work moves the soul like a certain song. I live a moment of Wyeth’s work everyday while driving through Brandywine Valley and Chaddsford; maize colored hills rolling in the wind, diminished in color but not in thought. Andrew, you will always be alive in these Pennsylvania landscapes…
January 16, 2009 at 6:40 pm
Andrew Wyeth has been my favorite artist since I was a young girl when my grandparents first took me to see his work at the Brandywine.
It’s a sad day for art lovers around the world. His artwork is and will continue to be a great source of inspiration.
My condolences to Mr. Wyeth’s family and friends.
January 16, 2009 at 6:42 pm
I am very sad to hear of the death of Andrew Wyeth. He was a legend and an inspiration. I make several trips a year to see his works at the Brandywine River Museum. He will be missed very much indeed.
January 16, 2009 at 6:45 pm
Andrew Wyeth painted what was in him . . . a part of him. He brought the world of art and painting to the common man. You can feel his paintings . . . touch them . . . grab hold of them . . . sink your teeth into them. If we could all be as true to ourselves as Mr. Wyeth was to his himself through his art, we’d be so much better off!
Deepest sympathies to all the Wyeth family especially Mrs. Wyeth. My prayers are with you.
January 16, 2009 at 6:47 pm
My condolences to the entire Wyeth Family for their loss. Andrew Wyeth was the prototypical icon of American art and in my opinion the greatest artist of our lifetime. I have visited the Brandywine Museum and seen Wyeth’s works in San Francisco and other cities. His paintings are inspiring and his technique unmistakable. Without any doubt his life and times will live on forever in these wonderful paintings and works that he left to all of us. God Bless and fair winds to you Andrew.
January 16, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Growing up, my mom had Andrew Wyeth prints in our home, and they were my favorites. As an adult, I became a makeup artist and was privileged to work on a film called “Dead Poets Society” which was shot in Delaware. On one day off, I drove to the Brandywine Museum and revelled at the works of NC, Jamie, and Andrew Wyeth, absorbing their wonderful work and the beautiful museum. Seeing their original works was a day I will always treasure. I remember going across the street to the restaurant, excitedly calling my mother in California, sharing with her the fact that all those paintings we both adored were literally hanging right in front of me – touchable and real, unforgettable and an inspiration. I could eat warm chocolate bread pudding right underneath a painting I had always dreamed of seeing.
January 16, 2009 at 6:49 pm
Over the years I have spent many hours in the Brandywine River Museum, standing in awe in front of Andrew Wyeth’s paintings. A brilliant artist who will be deeply missed. My condolences to the Wyeth family.
January 16, 2009 at 6:49 pm
We shall miss such a talented local artist. His eye has helped capture Chadds Ford and it’s beautiful mysteries. While visiting the museum Andrew Wyeths granddaughter gave us a glimpse of Andrew Wyteh and spoke of family stories that left us all enlightened.
January 16, 2009 at 6:50 pm
As I sit here reflecting on Andrew’s talent and life that touched ours so deeply, “Her Room” hangs above the desk and I can hear the ocean from the rocky mountains thanks to Andrew.
May God be with the Wyeth family and friends.
January 16, 2009 at 6:52 pm
I would like to express my condolences to the Wyeth family. A great man of American History and Art has touched so many. I grew up in nearby Oxford, Pennsylvania, while having a great interest in the arts, visited Brandywine River Museum many times. I now live in Kansas and heard the news this morning regarding Andrew Wyeth. Just an example of a life touched from afar.
January 16, 2009 at 6:56 pm
My deepest sympathies to the Wyeth family and friends. While my hear weeps the loss of a great artist, Cheers to a life well lived and his gift to all humankind.
January 16, 2009 at 6:59 pm
My sympathies and sorry goes out to the Wyeth family and the Brandywine River Museum family of friends. How absolutely wonderful it has been to have him in our world so close. I will miss his presence on the land along the Brandywine. I am consoled by knowing Andrew Wyeth’s works will live on forever
January 16, 2009 at 7:03 pm
I grew up in Kennett Square, Pa just a few miles from Chadds Ford. I remember my Dad’s shock when NC Wyeth and his grandson were killed at the railroad crossing and his explaining to me that NC was the illustrator of all the books I loved. There are a few treasured prints in our family and the second printing of his 1968 AW book is on my lap as I type. Blessings on the family and all those who work to preserve and display his works at the Brandywine River Museum.
January 16, 2009 at 7:07 pm
My condolences to the wyeth family during this difficult time.
I grew up near Chadds Ford and visited the museum as a child and as recently as December 08. His work spoke to my heart and made me appreciate this beautiful area of the country. He painted his emotions and in doing that stirred mine. He will be greatly missed.
January 16, 2009 at 7:07 pm
We fell in love with the Brandywine Valley and the Museum. Carolyn is an artist and we both love the Wyeths’ works. He was one of those silent giants who have influenced many artists and showed all, the peace and solitude of life through his paintings. He said a lot through his works without painting everything. He forced the viewer to “finish” the painting with their own life.. A true genius…
January 16, 2009 at 7:08 pm
It is with great sadness that I send condolences to the family and friends of Andrew Wyeth.
With fond appreciation for a lifetime of art, I am
Sincerely,
Mary C. McLaughlin
January 16, 2009 at 7:09 pm
A light has gone out in our world. Its intensity magnified the light in each of our hearts. It is now up to us to replace the missing light. Godspeed Andrew Wyeth.
January 16, 2009 at 7:09 pm
For as long as I can remember, my brother (also a painter) has shown us the work and spoken of the Wyeth family and their incredible talents.
One summer, we were headed to Maine, not only to enjoy the rugged coastline and explore the many lighthouses tucked away at their posts, but determined to find the Olsen farm. I wanted to see the house from the same view as “Christina” and we found it. It was old and creeky and full of familiarity.
For years, we’ve had a James Wyeth painting, “Island Roses”, hanging in our house; visited Chadds Ford and Brandywine.
Thank you and farewell to Andrew Wyeth, a true American treasure.
January 16, 2009 at 7:10 pm
I live in Maine, and while sailing this past Summer, I had the privilege of meeting Andrew Wyeth- a charming man who had a wonderful sense of humor. He was even nice enough to give me his autograph (immediately after returning from our trip, I had it professionally framed and have gazed at it everyday since). For years, my family and I have decorated our walls with Wyeth artwork and nothing but. I have followed Andrew’s talents for years and years and I adore his ability to capture those moments of Maine living that often times pass us by. My heart is sad, and, as and artist, I will forever be grateful to be embraced by a true inspirtation that only Andrew Wyeth cold have provided. My thoughts and Prayers are with the entire Wyeth family.
January 16, 2009 at 7:11 pm
When I was 6 years old I had a very vivid dream of a lady sitting alone in a poppy field. She seemed desperately trying to reach her house but for some reason was unable to. I never thought much of the dream until years later when I discovered Andrew Wyeth’s painting, “Christina’s World”. Needless to say I was taken aback by the similarity of the two.
I don’t know what it means to this day but I have since purchased a copy of “Christina’s World” and hold Mr. Wyeth in very high regard as a vital influence on my life. I am saddened by his loss and my thoughts are with his family during this time.
January 16, 2009 at 7:24 pm
I have Andrew Wyeth’s Pennsylvania Landscape on my office wall and am looking at it as I write. I liked his work for a number of reasons. The area of Southeastern Pennsylvania portrayed in many of Wyeth’s paintings was near my home farm. My mom took us to the Brandywine River Museum often to see his paintings, as well as those by his father, N.C. Wyeth.
Andrew Wyeth’s realistic paintings were quiet and his palette was subdued. His models were simple country folks. Wyeth wasn’t popular with critics who liked more abstract art, but he spoke to me, a farm girl. My favorites were Evening at Kuerners and Faraway.
January 16, 2009 at 7:26 pm
I worked at the Brandywine Museum when I first came to America from England in 1976 – I was very fortunate to meet Mr. Wyeth and his son during my time there.
I never tired of staring at the Wyeth collection – it was truly an honor, and I consider myself very fortunate to have been able to gaze upon such works day after day for one hot, long summer. I would stand and stare, awestruck at such brilliance. And it remains a highlight of my time in America.
Thank you for that, Mr Wyeth
My heart goes out to your family.
January 16, 2009 at 7:30 pm
I became a fan of Andrew Wyeth’s work before adolescence. It was a private love; I remember seeing some of his works unaccompanied by others, when the Farnsworth was an upper-floor museum, donations requested. My family and I spent much time at the family blueberry farm in Tenants Harbor, and his art evoked the many moods I felt there. It bothered me that he was as popular as he was, because there was no chance that a scruff like me could afford an original of his, but that didn’t stop me from at least beginning a letter to him. Since then I’ve acquired a few prints, and they continue to be favorites. The critics have missed the idea that some very common folk such as those he lived among have deep love of the lifestyle, and they find comfort and appreciation in his work. As Andrew now finds comfort and appreciation in God’s work.
January 16, 2009 at 7:35 pm
As sad as this is — and there will be many things written today about his life and his fantastic art that inspired so many of us — as those who have really gotten to know him have told us, Andrew had a certain preoccupation with death. This has been revealed in certain paintings executed since his father’s death which may have been attributed more to fascination than fear. As much as we have dreaded that this day would arrive, it is comforting to know that Andrew died in his sleep. Andrew lived a dream; he got to do what he truly enjoyed all of his life; he never stopped, and made the world a better place. Our thoughts and condolences go out to Betsy, Jamie, Nickolas, Victoria and all of his friends. Philip Lang / Kennett Square, PA
January 16, 2009 at 7:42 pm
The world has lost one of it’s greatest master artists. Many hearts will be heavy and quite sad. Our thoughts and prayers to the Wyeth family. One of Andrew’s close friends was my watercolor teacher some years ago and a great influnance, I now feel as though a family member is gone. Andrew’s life was one of God’s great gifts to us just as Andew’s art was a gift we all shared and enjoyed. As sad as my heart is I will try to remember his life and celabrate it. Maybe someday soon my paint brush will find the earth tones colors to say how big the void is that left. My prayers to all the Wyth family and many friends.
January 16, 2009 at 7:52 pm
I was first shown his work in my art class while I was a freshmen in Junior High. Even at that age I was stirred and moved by the art of this wonderful artist. It is one of the paintings that is to this day vivid in my mind. Christina’s World was the piece, I look at hillsides and houses that are similiar to this and am moved to that place of melancholy. I am sorry for the loss of this man of vision, art and passion for his work. No compromise or apologies. The art world is now dimmer due to his passing. My condolences to those he inspired.
January 16, 2009 at 7:54 pm
Yes, a wonderful man. My Mother,Dorris was a friend of Mr. Wyeth,We
were welcomed in his home many years ago. I have “2” Christina’s
World” “A view from the window”.He now joins my MoM who passed
13 years ago. He will be missed.
January 16, 2009 at 7:59 pm
I would like to extend my condolences to the Wyeth family. Mr. Wyeth was very kind to guide and encourage me while I sat after school. My mother took geat care of his paintings when she worked there, I guess we both admired his quiet yet devoted talent. I’m just sorry I hadn’t had a chance to say thank you to him in later years, a different world opened for me with his tutelage during his visits to and from the museum. The world has become less colorful with his passing.
Marcella Carter-Watterson
(also known as Marci)
January 16, 2009 at 8:03 pm
My mom was raised a stone’s throw from the Brandywine River and there was a well worn paperback book of his paintings that was on continuous display during my childhood.
January 16, 2009 at 8:05 pm
I have made my living as a professional artist for more then thirty-five years. I so enjoy all kinds and styles of painting, from extreme realism to nearly non-existent minimalism. I long for a world that is true, a world where one is comfortable with one’s self, where one can sit quietly in a room alone and be at peace. A world where every blade of grass is honored, every whisper heard, the softest light observed and felt. A world where one also can shout out in colorful joy or scream out in dark rage, for life is hard, extreme. All styles of visual expression are important. A realist, impressionist, an abstractionist. A poet and yet a novelist. Jazz, classical, folk, whatever the music, the literary, the visual style, Wyeth knew them well in his paint, but never pursued style for the sake of trend or societies wants, but only to get closer to the truth of life. Great art is all things to all people in all times. To be so many people, to feel so many things, to love so much, is a great weight to carry and yet, all the world will benefit for many years to come for the gift of great art this man, Andrew Wyeth has given us all.
January 16, 2009 at 8:11 pm
Just saw on the news and internet that we lost one of our great treasures- Andrew Wyeth. We wish to extend our sympathies to the Wyeth family. Please know that you will be in our prayers in the days to come.
Also know that Andrew’s legacy will be a rich one- continuing always. I was first touched by his work as a young student. I have since had the opportunity to see many of his paintings in museums and galleries. They are works of quiet inspiration.
I have taught art for 37 years and have helped make my students aware of the Wyeth family of artists. I live near Lubbock, Texas where a large collection of N.C. Wyeth paintings are on display. These works and the Wyeth family works displayed at the Hurd-La Rinconada Gallery in San Patricio, NM have been favorites not only of my wife, Bette, & me but of my students as we would visit on field trips.
Each year I would have my students write their impressions of Christina’s World. Their eyes were opened many times to an aspect of Andrew Wyeth’s work that is so endearing- his ability to see the unique in the usual; to find the essence and the depth of subject that might seem commonplace at first glance- but Andrew saw beyond what was on the surface & helped bring it to our attention. We are ever thankful.
He will be truly missed.
Blessings !
John
January 16, 2009 at 8:12 pm
I was greatly saddened to hear of the passing of what I feel was the greatest American artist ever.He has been an inspiration to me and my own art work for my whole life and I will feel a personal void .My deepest sympathies go to his family and I know in my heart that Andrew Wyeth and his work will live on forever.
January 16, 2009 at 8:19 pm
On behalf of our families, Bakers & Dalkes, I would like to extend our sincere sympathy to the Wyeth family and Mary & Michael Landa. Andrew Wyeth’s art has been a wonderful, inspiration in our lives over the many years. His works grace our homes and provide a reverent appreciation for the balance between simplicity and complexity, whether it be a branch, the side of a barn, or the sun’s rays. Thank you, Andrew, for gracing our world with your talent. The angels are singing your praises today!
January 16, 2009 at 8:27 pm
Andrew Wyeth has brought me into his paintings from my first and favorite print purchase in the early seventies,”Racoon”. The beauty of his brush strokes and his unique creative abilty contrasts the saddness of the story the painting tells. “Racoon” penetrates the depth of my soul. Thank you Mr. Wyeth.
January 16, 2009 at 8:30 pm
I grew up in the Brandywine valley, in Wilmington. That landscape has stayed with me my entire life. I can’t put into words why I was moved by his work — maybe it’s just because he painted these places the way I saw them. I think he loved this landscape the way I did.
I visited the museum again just this past Christmas, to go enjoy the trains, the works of N.C. and the Pyle school, and of course, the Wyeth gallery. I was so happy to see his recent painting, “Stop”, and all of his wonderful past works.
Rest in peace, Andrew. Your art is a treasure.
January 16, 2009 at 8:35 pm
My husband and I had the privilege of living in a cottage across the Brandywine River from the Wyeth family’s mill in Chadds Ford. It was a profound pleasure to live in that serene part of the world, and to look across the river and imagine Andrew Wyeth being inspired by the same surroundings as my own. We became attached emotionally to his paintings then, and we treasure the memory of living so near to him and his family.
Elaine Rice Bachmann
January 16, 2009 at 8:47 pm
We have been blessed in the Delaware Valley to have two of the greatest american painters as our native sons. Andrew Wyeth and Thomas Eakins, rest in peace.
BK Newark, DE
January 16, 2009 at 8:47 pm
My family lived for 25 years in Chadds Ford and Kennett Square. Our children attended Chadds Ford Elementary which at that time had original Wyeths on its walls! Although we did not know Andrew personally, we did know his brother, Nat, quite well at Church of the Advent. Now in Charleston, SC, when people ask where we lived before, I always say, “Wyeth Country”. Fortunately we will always have Andrew Wyeth with us as long as his paintings are preserved – as they must be.
January 16, 2009 at 8:49 pm
I fell in love with Mr. Wyeth’s works in the early ’60s and appreciate the fact that his artistic legacy will continue to inspire young artists everywhere for generations to come. He was one of America’s treasures.
January 16, 2009 at 8:53 pm
An artist myself, I grew up admiring the work of all three generations. The transition from one to the next was exciting to watch. N.C. was the illustrator (my first son’s initials are N. C.), Andrew was the accomplished artist. Even Snoopy had an “Andrew Wyeth” hanging in his dog house! He is one of America’s treasures. Watching Jamie come up demonstrated so much of his father’s technique and yet he was always looking through different eyes, bringing that “Jamie” perspective to his work. Amazingly the talented family continues to thrive. Life’s lesson from Mr. Wyeth is, You don’t have to travel the world to find yourself. You’ll find it on short walks from where you call home.
January 16, 2009 at 8:54 pm
Some of my first memories are of Wyeth paintings first N.C. and the illustrated books of my parents then Andrew as a teenager and aspiring art student. I saw the astounding exhibition at the Royal Academy in London in 1980 and marveled at the attention to detail in the brush strokes. What an everlasting legacy Mr. Wyeth has left America and the world. Thank you Andrew.
January 16, 2009 at 8:55 pm
Without a doubt, Andy was one of the finest painters of our times. I am deeply saddened by this news. His art is his Legacy and it will live on forever. He had more impact in my life than perhaps my own father.
I was notified of this news during 4th period today while teaching students Art. I became an artist because of this man. The World has lost one of the greatest artists ever. I have taught students about him since 1980. I learned of him from my high school ART instructor Lawrence H. Kuzmin. Mr. Kuzmin and myself today are “Somewhat” known watercolorists who paint in the Brandywine Tradition, locally, along with such others as Peter Sculthorpe, Richard Bollinger, Linda Barr, Ed Rafferty, Mildred Sands Kratz, and the list honestly goes on and on and on. Hundreds of artists were inspired by this man and his art. Hundreds of artists were made better human beings by observing nature, light, texture, emotions, and life around us. Our community was made better by this man, his vision, his father, his son, his family, his poetry and his love. His art is “LOVE”.
There were two great poets in my life time, Robert Frost and Andrew Wyeth. Simply, Great Talents, Great Humans, and Great Americans,
who made this country a better place because of their “ART” and vision, their effort and their love.
Thank God, I had the smarts back then in high school in 1971, to study this, his paintings, his legacy, his life, and for it I am better, he changed my life forever. I will shed a few tears tonight, and raise a few glasses in his honor.
– Claude W. Bernardin
Watercolorist
Pottstown, Pa.
January 16, 2009 at 9:00 pm
Andrew Wyeth was such an inspiration to my life as a painter and to many many people I’m sure. My sympathies go out to the Wyeth family.
My Andrew story takes me back to Port Clyde Maine when I was taking a workshop at the http://www.oceanhousehotel.com and the wonderful owners there said that Andrew usually would come in on Thursdays to have dinner. Me being a huge Andrew fan made sure I was there just so I could get a look at a living master. Well that week he didn’t show but the day before on Wednesday his son Jamie did come in and that was just as great. Big Big Wyeth Fan and now going to get all his books off the shelf and take a refresher peek.
January 16, 2009 at 9:03 pm
Treasure Island
for Andrew Wyeth
His small crooked foot walks on, in brown boot,
To the silence of the screams
Burning steel tracks through tattered white sails,
The deer –hide welcome mat of Chaddsford,
The melancholy nothingness of a crisp barren day.
Lost in his thoughts, left alone.
Blood dried tragedy, blending into pigment.
The pin sparkle of light on tufts of hair
Tangled in barbed wire fence.
The iron stained prints of animals shuffling
With the snow and discordant solitude.
Hiding his dreams,
His love of life, secured;
Discarding his fathers palette,
Sapphire romantic and cumulous, dramatic;
Abandoned for facts,
And winter shucked to the bone.
Facing bitter truth.
Burying the past
Good and gone.
All under his small crooked foot walking on.
poem by Claude W. Bernardin, copyrighted and written in 2008
January 16, 2009 at 9:04 pm
I taught Art Literacy at a grade school in Canby, Oregon when my children were little, and our Andrew Wyeth unit brought about the most excitement of any of our classes. Both the children and their teachers were enthralled by the way Wyeth could paint something as simple as a curtain and make you feel as though if you touched it, you would feel the warmth of the sun in the linen. The absolute beauty, despair, triumph, and warmth of his paintings have touched me for all of my life, and I am so very lucky to have been able to share my love of this amazing artist with the next generation. For that I thank him, and will take this day to mourn the lost of one of the great artists of our times.
January 16, 2009 at 9:08 pm
How fortunate that we have been able to see and appreciate the work of Andrew Wyeth throughout the years. He has inspired so many.
Simplicity, at its finest, is one attribute of his work that I have always admired.
My condolences to the Wyeth family and to the museum ‘family as well.
January 16, 2009 at 9:10 pm
I never had the privilege of meeting Andrew Wyeth ,but have visited The Olson house in Maine many times and felt his presence in the upstairs studio. I have collected many of his books , and enjoyed many of his paintings at the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland , Maine . He will be greatly missed by the artists community .
January 16, 2009 at 9:11 pm
Growing up in Midcoast Maine afforded me many opportunities to observe Andrew Wyeth at work and eating his lunch. I suppose by standards today, I would be considered a nine year old “artist stalker”. I waited outside a small eating spot while he ate lunch, I knew he was there when I spotted his paint box leaning against a tree. When he emerged, I followed him hoping he was painting within biking distance….then I would park myself ,a very respectable distance away and just watch his magic.
My home away from home was the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland, Maine. In 1963, the painting “Her World” was sold to the Farnsworth, the Wyeth family have been incredibly generous to the Museum. The day the painting was “dedicated” or turned over to the Farnsworth, Andrew Wyeth was present, two museum employees, me and my dog. We all stood around the table with the painting and prints aavialable for sale. I wanted a print that day more than I have ever wanted anything in my life before or since….I was not flush with cash. But, I accepted “Her World” as my painting in my heart.
I’ve told you of the very best part of my childhood. The freedom to roam around the Farnsworth Museum, with my dog sitting on the cool marble steps on the hotest day of the summer. I was never asked why I was there, let alone why I had a dog in tow. It just didn’t get any better, my personal “artist” and all his paintings…I didn’t know he was famous at all.
Through my young mind he was a personal discovery and the museum had to have been built for him because it reflected his whole demeanor….it was just so, peaceful. I know in my heart he is at peace.
I cried today when I heard of his passing, only one tear flowed down my left cheek. It was simply a thank you tear. Thank you for showing a very poor kid from Maine there was great beauty in a place so, severe in other ways. I never had the courage to speak to him, so my gratitude has been born in silence.
January 16, 2009 at 9:18 pm
I feel as if I’ve lost an old friend.
January 16, 2009 at 9:26 pm
The window has been closed, the shade has been drawn, but I am left forever grateful for the view that he gave me. Rest in Peace, Mr. Wyeth.
January 16, 2009 at 9:30 pm
All of us here at Visual Expansion Gallery wish to send our sincerest condolences to the family of Andrew Wyeth.
I know he touched our lives, nearly on a daily basis, through his artwork that the public adored. My late husband Bill was tickled everytime Andrew would visit the gallery. Everyone smiles when speaking of Wyeth’s images, as they recount their favorites. Just today a customer proudly proclaimed “he was our own”. Indeed he was.
Lorraine Waughn – owner
Visual Expansion Gallery
January 16, 2009 at 9:34 pm
I am moved today by the end of a life cycle. Like seeiing Karl Kuerner sleeping in a snow drift as the bitter cold swirls around me. Even if you can see the end coming it is still an end and the sadness is my clothing draped around my body. Andrew Wyeth taught me to look beyond the surface of things. I will never forget his letter to me or the opportunity I was given to photograph Kuerners Farm all by self on a cold fall morning. Sitting where he sat, imagining what he felt, and feeling my own creativity blossom. It was a generous gift. Wyeth blue. That’s how I feel. Close friends. The courage to love what you know and to curiously examine what you don’t. Finding yourself in your own place. Knowing it’s enough.
I will miss you Andy.
Tom Rhein
January 16, 2009 at 9:34 pm
I first visited Brandywine Museum in my early 20’s with my boyfriends (now husbands) family. I wasn’t really looking forward to the outing for several reason but then I walked into the museum and was struck with the beauty of the Wyeths. I fell instantly in love with the family and their art. Andrew especially!! The colors of his art grabbed me and wouldn’t let go, then I stumbled upon Helga. I was awestruck by this work, the fact that here was a normal woman depicting such intense beauty. As a young girl I was facinated by the beauty, sexuality and intensity of these paintings. The story of Helga captivated me also.
The landscapes have always grabbed me and had me longing to be there. The paintings of homes always leave me wondering about its occupants. I have several prints in my home and I often find myself daydreaming about being there.
Thank you Andrew Wyeth, you will be sorely missed, but always in my heart.
January 16, 2009 at 10:00 pm
Dear Brandywine and Wyeth Families ,
I am sorry for your loss of a famous and popular artist .I never met him in person but I read about him in books from the library and in art class in 8th grade when we tried some of his techniques during class. Here are some of my favorite pictures that he painted : Christina’s World The Master Bedroom, Christmas Morning and many other more.I hope that he continues to paint in heaven for the others up there including some of my family members who also passed on to the new world. RIP Mr. Wyeth We will surely miss your paintings.
Thanks yours truly,
Sara Ashely Stellman
January 16, 2009 at 10:14 pm
You shall live on through the magic of your paintings. I viewed my first and became a poet. Thank you for touching the souls of artists forever. Vaya con Dios, Mr. Andrew Wyeth, until we meet again in the rolling hills of Pennsylvania.
January 16, 2009 at 10:43 pm
Imagine a 10 year old girl, terrified, alone, and entering a new school for the first time. I didn’t know where I was going so I stood in it’s large foyer trying to get my bearings, I turned around and there, resting on a huge brick wall, was a large print of Christina’s World. In that instant I remember feeling comforted and calm. She was as alone as I was that day. That was 1967 and Andrew Wyeth has left me awestruck ever since. Each drawing and painting that I have had the pleasure to experience is unsurpassed by no other artist . In 2003, for our 20th wedding anniversary, my husband took me from Chicago to Chadd’s Ford to visit the Brandywine Museum for my first time. It was an unbelievable experience. I wrote the museum to find out how to contact Mr. Wyeth. I wanted to tell him thank you for gifting us with his vision. They suggested I write through the museum but I became embarrassed about writing and never did it. I am so sorry that I didn’t because my chance is now gone and he’ll never know how much his work has affected my life. My thanks, my thoughts, and my prayers to Mr. Wyeth and his family.
P.S. One of the first Chicago Art Exhibitions in the 1980’s had a piece of Mr. Wyeth’s in the booth of one of the participating galleries. I inquired about the price, and the gallery rep laughed at me in a very high brow sort of way and smugly revealed the cost. I thanked her and slowly walked out as I gazed at his painting, wishing I could look at it forever. I clearly remember thinking to myself that certainly Mr. Wyeth did not paint that painting with any thought of price. His work spoke to the common man and woman with everyday people as his subjects. I’m sure money meant very little to him. If he had heard that rep that day he surely would have had something to say to her!
January 16, 2009 at 11:19 pm
My sincere sympathies to the Wyeth family. My childhood is melted into the Kuerner Farm paintings. Karl Kuerner, my uncle Karl Brehem and my mother came to the US together. I roamed the Kuerner farm much as Andrew did. The young bull; Karl in the attic with the meat hooks; the barn; the house; curtains in the breeze; the mystical Anna and Karl, gun in hand and the final one of Karl Kuerner in death–so my childhood is remembered. I can imagine those cold nights when like my Uncle, Andrew sat and drank some of that hard cider that Kuerner made. I hope he got to partake of my uncle’s elderberry wine. Thank you Andrew for your love of the Brandywine, of the Kuerners, of your art. Thank you and your sister too for inspiring the grandson of Karl Kuerner and of another wonderful artist who roamed those Chadds Ford Hills off the Ring Road and now is an artist in his own right, my brother, Ralph Wikstrom whose paintings may be viewed in Chapel Hill, N C.
January 16, 2009 at 11:24 pm
I went to art school later in life. Although I have not pursued art as a career nor do I pretend to be talented, the most wonderful gift that I received during this time was being introduced to the wonderful work of Andrew’s father, N.C. Wyeth. It was during the research for a project on the works of N.C. Wyeth that I learned of the remarkable Wyeth family and the truly remarkable talent of Andrew. This kindled a love of his work that has shown brighter each day. I was lucky to see the “Helga” pictures in Houston during their tour of the U.S. before they were sold. I was speechless and spellbound as I gazed upon the uniqueness that was Andrew Wyeth’s talent–you could count every hair on her head, see every pore in her face, count every knit in her sweater. It was breathtaking. I was fortunate enough to have visited Chadds Ford and the Brandywine Museum–all the places that were the very heart of Mr. Wyeth’s paintings (except for Maine). He gave us so much during his very long, rich life. My condolences to his wife and family and, thank you, Mr. Wyeth, you enriched my life like no one else.
January 16, 2009 at 11:27 pm
When I first saw Andrew Wyeth’s work I was an aspiring, 13 year old artist. His beautiful artwork touched me in a way that nothing else had ever touched me before. I could relate to the feelings and colors in every one of his paintings. It was as though we saw the world in exactly the same light. The inevitable has come, with much heartfelt, soul-felt sadness. A great wonder of the art world is gone, and I am sad.
Thank you, Andy, for sharing your world with the rest of us.
January 16, 2009 at 11:39 pm
From the very first moment I laid eyes on the work of Andrew Wyeth as a young girl, I was fascinated and inspired. No matter what venue nor medium I have worked in or with, no matter how my work leaned (abstract or figurative) I have never swayed from my great respect for his paintings.
What so many ignorant critics do not get due to their limited understanding, is that there exists in Andrew Wyeth’s work a great abstraction and purity of art, within the context of what appears to be merely representation or narrative. One needs to dwell inside the images a bit to really grasp the extent of the beauty and the power of them that goes beyond imagery. They amaze.
So Hilton Kramer was really that uneducated in his estimation of Wyeth? How sad. I never knew Kramer was of such limited scope.
January 16, 2009 at 11:43 pm
I first found Andrew Wyeth really when my mom had me watch a documentary on his family when I was in college trying to find my way in art. I wasn’t sure who I was more taken by, his father or Andrew, but it left an indelible mark that stayed with me thru the years. What a remarkable family God bestowed on us! There was something unsettling about Mr. Wyeth, his internal struggle and his art but I got it and I am so sad that I never got to meet him but his sketches and his story will haunt me as they have every time i see something that catches my eye, like a farm fencepost on a country road, a lone knarly abandoned barn, a half buried storm shelter. He went for it, wrestled with it, and hopefully worked thru it – that I am grateful for. What an amazing long life he had for one who was the sick one of the family!
January 16, 2009 at 11:44 pm
My heart goes out to the Wyeth family. With sincere sympathy my thoughts are with you all. Mr. Wyeth was for me, an American artist, an inspiration, a hero for young aspiring artists everywhere. He achieved so much as an artist, and as a person. The artworld lost an amazing talent, but the world lost a great human being full of life. So very sorry – Mr. Wyeth; may you forever be remembered in our hearts…rest in piece.
Sincerely,
Michael Warth
January 16, 2009 at 11:58 pm
Thank you Andrew,
Your gift shone through a brilliant lens of another time and place, and filled us with your love and emotions.
January 17, 2009 at 12:03 am
I remember you Andrew Wyeth in grateful love.
January 17, 2009 at 12:25 am
September 2008 I was visiting MOMA, in NYC and quite unexpectively “Christina’s World” was before me. I have seen reproductions in books and posters for more than forty years and to see it up close was a great thrill. After studing it for more than 30 minutes I continued my visit, but just before I left the museum I went back to see that masterpeice for one last look. The history of the sell of “Christina’s World” and the millions the museum has made on the reproductions is a lesson to all artist. Enclude royalties as part of your conpensation. Thanks Andy, you took one for the team.
January 17, 2009 at 12:44 am
I just heard this news on NPR out here in Los Angeles. I celebrate the amazing life, and the amazing art of “Andy.” As I was thinking about this loss, I suddenly became so grateful of the fact that he has enriched my life and the life of the planet so very much. His art has, for me, made living on planet Earth a more beautiful, meaningful experience, and what more could one ask? God bless Andy, but God has blessed me and all of us more, by “lending” him to us.
January 17, 2009 at 12:51 am
I have loved Andrew Wyeth’s work since I saw the Helga exhibit in Los Angeles in the 1980’s (I think). Now living here in PA, I have the chance to visit the Brandywine River Museum often and see so many of the paintings over and over. What a special gift A.W. had and thanks for what he shared through his art.
January 17, 2009 at 12:58 am
Andrew Wyeth was a brilliant painter, American icon and above all, a very kind man.
January 17, 2009 at 1:15 am
Andrew Wyeth’s art has given me so very much enjoyment over the years. To me he was Beethoven with a paint brush. Thank you for how you have enriched my life, Mr. Wyeth.
Bob Wieder
January 17, 2009 at 1:38 am
I saw that wonderful show of Andrew’s work at the R.A. London in 1980 and was totally smitten with the paintings. I have really enjoyed the three generations of Wyeths, – N.C. Andy and Jamie and I am sure my students past and present will testify to how much I have raved on about how brilliant the work is. Many of them are true admirers of the work themselves now too, this is borne out by the fact that they keep stealing all my Wyeth books! A light has gone out for me.
Heartfelt thoughts and sympathy to Betsy James, Nicholas, Jamie and Family.
From Neil Carroll a painter and life-long fan in Wales U.K.
January 17, 2009 at 1:41 am
I am was shocked and deeply saddened to have learned of the passing of Andrew Wyeth. He was such an inspiration to my family and me. It was during my first visit to the Brandywine River Museum some 17 years ago that gave me a true appreciation for paintings and artwork. I never understood art until I visited this museum and saw all of the Wyeth’s work. I too fell in love with Andrew’s especially. I have brought many friends and only last month, my husband and I brought our three sons there for the first time (10,7 and 2). My oldest son is our “artist” in the family and was fascinated with all of the artwork and how it was done. It was a true eye opener and he now appreciates how things come together. We will continue to appreicate all of your works in our house as I jokingly refer it as our “mini” museum of Wyeth prints. Thank you Andrew for all of your inspriations and paintings. You will be sorely missed. I truly believe a great artist of our century has left us.
January 17, 2009 at 1:51 am
In 1973 my father was given ART OF ANDREW WYETH as a Christmas gift and over that holiday I became obsessed with Wyeth’s work. He was my first artist obsession: Alvaro and Christina, Brown Swiss, Ground Hog Day, Lime Banks, Winter Corn, The Finn, Roasted Chestnuts, Lynch, I looked at them over again forcing all who visited to go through the book page by page with me. Years later I was at last able to see a major Wyeth exhibit, and remember being overwhelmed by how “alive” they seemed.
And today at 50, rather than 15, I still find that much of what I want to understand about the world can be found in an imersion in his work.
January 17, 2009 at 2:05 am
I am truly sorry I never expressed my feeling for Mr. Wyeth and his work while he was around to hear them.
January 17, 2009 at 2:07 am
My favorite Andrew Wyeth story is one that he told in which, while driving, he pulled of to the side of the road to sketch a scene that happened to capture his fancy. A police officer stopped and informed that he was stopped illegally and couldn’t stop there just draw a picture adding, “Who do you think you are? Andy Wyeth?”
Andy thanked the officer, got back in his car and drove off.
Thank you for the indirect art education you have given me and countless others. God speed.
January 17, 2009 at 2:52 am
My condolences to the entire Wyeth family, especially Victoria (whom I meet through a lecture series at the Schuylkill Academy, the Philadelphia Museum and the Brandywine).
A man who I never meet face to face. I man who I aspired to work like. I man whose self portraits of a pair of Mr. Piles old prop boots in a fields walking, speaks volumes to anyone that takes the time to look. It’s a piece (only a note card) that hangs in my studio next to Michelangelo’s Garden of Eden from the Sistine Chapel. And gives me courage to look and to feel the world around me. The world is a little empty without him working and giving us the hope to just look and see what we see in the world that’s right outside our windows. DASH+
January 17, 2009 at 3:00 am
When I was a child of five my mother had an art book on american artists. There was a very somber painting on page 138,”The Scarecrow”, by Andrew Wyeth . It had so moved me. A very odd painting for a child to be so taken with, but I was. I have kept that book with me for the past 45 years and for 20 of those years it has been close at hand in my studio.
He lived a grand , long life and will be missed . But how fortunate for all that the best of him will be with us for lifetimes to come.
Thank-you Andrew for “The Scarecrow” it gave me that start, down a road to creativity.
January 17, 2009 at 3:35 am
I lived in the Chadds Ford Unionville area for 18 years. I will always remember seeing Andrew Wyeth’s painting at the Brandywine River Museum and seeing his prints at the Chadds Ford Gallery and surounding area. Seeing the Chadds Ford Landscapes and living the area where Andrew Wyeth painted will always be important for me to remember. I do not live in the area any more but I make a trip in the Spring every year back to the Brandywine Valley to remember the place where I used to live. Thank you Andrew Wyeth for adding to my life through your paintings a place to remember.
January 17, 2009 at 3:42 am
It is truly a sad day for Chadds Ford. I miss Andrew already. I would see him ride by and wave as he was on his way to the studio early in the morning or back to the mill at dinner time. I was always intrigued when I would see him parked somewhere painting or sketching…wishing I could go up to him and take a peek at what he was working on, but respecting his privacy. I always looked forward to seeing him and Jamie at the Christmas parties at Jim Leader’s gas station …a great time when all the town folks gathered to wish each other happy holidays. We were on the board of the Sanderson Museum together and I am so happy we were able to present him with an award as founder of the museum. I would see him across the street going to Hanks for his bowl of soup. I have very fond memories of Andy that I will always cherish. Chadds Ford will not be the same without Andy’s presence…I am just so happy that I had the opportunity to meet him and to spend some time with him. Now I will remember him through his paintings. My thoughts and prayers are with his family. Andy will always be with us in Chadds Ford.
January 17, 2009 at 3:43 am
I was driving through the fawn colored country of mid Missouri when the car radio
told me that Andrew has passed away. Years ago, the colors were the same when
we drove to Chadd’s Ford, showing our children the landscape so loved and pictured
by this man whose work we had come to love. Now we are old, almost as old as
Andrew, and the time is getting short. I still remember the first time I saw his sparse
painting of a scarecrow, riding on the wind. I wrote a poem and called it
Scarecrow Prophet:
Useless tatter, twice disowned, I sketch a line that wind has honed, and
bear a tale that streaming air, unrobed, can’t speak.
Andrew has left us with a lot to consider,, as we traipse through the tapestry of life. Our deepest thanks to him, and to his family.
January 17, 2009 at 3:45 am
Andrew will always be remembered fondly by we artists who paint our dreams and fantasies of our life experience. Through his art, the real becomes the imagined. He has blazed a trail for us to follow.
Thank you Andrew for remaining true to your vision. You are always in my thoughts when I draw and paint.
January 17, 2009 at 3:48 am
Loving thoughts and prayers for the Wyeth family and friends.
January 17, 2009 at 3:49 am
It’s only the body what’s passed but his memory and his creation what’s bring me joy, will live for ever in my heart.
Thank you my friend for the good memories, may God give your soul a place in Haven what’s you well deseve… AMEN
January 17, 2009 at 4:05 am
I have always been a student of AW and even through my MFA, when no faculty would speak his name, i continued to hold him as my master artist and teacher . Andrew Wyeth, I am so sad that you have pased but so glad he died in his sleep.
January 17, 2009 at 4:28 am
His paintings are living things. As long as they live, so will he.
January 17, 2009 at 5:04 am
I was introduced to Andrew Wyeth’s art in high school. Although God did not give me the talent to paint, he gave me the gift to appreciate and to get inside the artists soul and feel the artists emotions through the works. I feel as if I have had an intimate relationship with Andrew ever since ( 31 yrs ) and will continue to do so until the day I die. He need not ever to sit downa nd write his life’s story. His life was in his art. There is one particular oil painting he did in 2002 that is on display on the 2nd floor of The Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford, Pa called “Moon Dance” to me is his best. I get chills everytime I go to visit “Moon Dance”
Andrew Wyeth, your gift of paint has forever changed me as a human being. Thank you so much for allowing the rest of the world into yours.
May God bless you and may God comfort the Wyeth family during their time of grief and loss.
Beth A. Eveland
Wilmington, Delaware
January 17, 2009 at 5:14 am
I look at the Snow Hill print hanging on my wall and can visualize Andy with his friends at the maypole. My condolences to his family and I share a poem (author unknown to me) that has softened the death of my close family members
A butterfly lights beside us like a sunbeam
And for a brief moment its glory and beauty belong to our world.
But then it flies on again. And though we wish it could have stayed
We fell so lucky to have seen it.
Thank you Andrew Wyeth for the pleasure you have brought us through your art.
Kathleen Heidenreich
January 17, 2009 at 6:16 am
First discovery of Mr. Wyeth was the cover of a book of his works in a friend’s bookstore in Arizona in 1974. This also caused me to discover the real meaning of the word ‘mesmerized’! I was never so impacted by ‘mere pictures’ before and while, at that time I hadn’t the words to describe those feelings – nor would they be understood, accepted or tolerated at home – then, I can now but the way I feel at this moment, I can’t.
I heard of his passing this morning on NPR and cut myself shavingas a result. It genuinely hurt to hear!
It was never my honor and privilege to meet the gentleman and though I know how trite and cliche’ it is to say, but I honestly DO feel as though I’ve lost a GOOD friend!
Rest in peace sir and thank you for works and thank you for your LIFE…
January 17, 2009 at 7:07 am
I grieve with the Wyeth family and fellow admirers at the loss of this great man. Andrew Wyeth and his works have been a source of energy and inspiration to me since I was first introduced to his paintings by my high school calculus teacher. Even though I am now a surgeon, I continue to paint watercolors and return to his body of art often, to escape from the rigors of my carer into the magic of his world.
January 17, 2009 at 7:46 am
It was a late summer day and we had traveled hundreds of miles. But when we visited Maine for the first time, I knew that I must see the Olsen House. I dashed from our car upon reaching Cushing, my trusty camera in hand. I remember saying to my husband, ” I wonder if this is where Andrew Wyeth envisioned Christina to be when he painted her.”
I heard a voice reply, “Actually, you should move to the right just a bit.” There, on the road beside the field where I stood, was Andrew along with Betsy. Andrew said that they often visited the Olsen property, especially in the early evening hours. The Wyeths conversed with us, as if we had known them for ages. They could not have been more gracious.
This introduction to Maine evolved into an annual retreat for our family. When our lives were blessed with children, our son and daughter quickly became captivated by Maine and the Wyeths.
Always, we visited the Farnsworth and the Olsen House. It was not just part of each trip. It has been a vtial chapter of life’s journey.
I remain grateful to Andrew Wyeth not only for his gift of artistry, but for his kindness in welcoming me to it.
Peace be unto you.
Bev Norwood
January 17, 2009 at 7:59 am
I woke up to the news of Andy’s death this morning and spent the day looking through his autobiography, which has been my good friend for many years. Through it I developed my own personal relationship with him , his family, and the beautiful scenes he represented. The works capture his intimate relationship with the people, creatures, objects, buildings and landscapes of his everyday life, which were simple and extraordinary at the same time. His filter was well tuned to all of his subject matter and he transmitted a sentiment that really inspired me. I was lucky enough to see his exhibit at our local Leigh Yawki museum in Wausau, Wisconsin a couple of years ago. I would stop in the museum to visit with a painting a day. It took me many daily visits to see only a fraction of the work. There was so much to take in. It was one of the more emotional experiences I have ever had. I shall never forget that.
I strongly encourage those who have not read his autobiography to do so. It is laid out with commentary on the left hand page, and painting on the right hand page. It will be a rewarding experience for you, I promise.
My condolences to his wife Betsy and all of his family. Andrew will live on in all of us, and will inspire and enlighten generations to come .
Angus Edyburn (art director)
January 17, 2009 at 8:43 am
My Art Appreciation teacher (Mr. Roth-Marple Newtown H.S.) introduced me to the works of Andrew Wyeth in 1965. I owe him so much, it became an instant love affair. In 1970, after getting engaged, we went to the gallery and bought “Ground’s Hog day”. It was the first thing we hung in our new home. Andrew Wyeth has made a difference in our lives and the love of his works has been passed down to our children and grandchildren.
Our children and grandchildren will each be left with a signed print and many unsigned prints. I know they will cherish them as my husband and I have. My deepest sympathy to the Wyeth family. A light has dimmed in the
art world today, but what a legacy he has left to all of us.
January 17, 2009 at 12:29 pm
I am so sorry for the Wyeth family, and the world, we have lost one of its most special people , he will always live on in the beautiful art he created I thank him for all of it .
January 17, 2009 at 12:41 pm
I have always felt that Andrew Wyeth’s work was akin to poetry while others of his time worked in prose. I drive by his house along the Brandywine on my way to and from work and always turn my head to take in the stark beauty of the setting. It is a brief moment during the day which for reasons not spoken always finds its way behind my thoughts, like his work. May his soul rest.
January 17, 2009 at 2:24 pm
The World has lost a great artist. Andrew Wyeth, through his work, was a true story teller. He opened our eyes to many windows. Windows of saddness but hope, through Christiana and he showed us the joy of nature and simplistic living. His artwork lives on in the homes of many such as myself. Betsy’s frequent visits to the former White Barn Seafood Shop in Chadds Ford, gave me the opportunity to ask her one day if he would sign my book of his artwork. She took it from me and returned it the following week, signed by Andrew. I will cherish this always and his creative and talented works.
My thoughts and prayers are with his family. He will live on forever!
January 17, 2009 at 3:54 pm
To the Wyeth family, I am sorry for your loss.
Andrew Wyeth’s art was in my opinion beautiful, imaginitive,mysterious and it made you think – it wan’t look and jump to the next one – you stopped in your tracks to really look. To also look at his work and imagine the time, effort and care he used to produce these images is amazing(especially in our world today where everything has to be photo-shopped,youtubed and text messaged). To be honest I was never that much interested in art and going to museums until I went to my first exhibition in 2006 – Andrew Wyeth – Memory and Magic at PMOA. I went 4 times to see it and it was like getting hit by a lightning bolt! I read the catalog and then every book I could get about him. I went to the other exhibits at the time at the Brandywine and the Delaware Museums. I went on Victoria’s tours about 4 times which were most enjoyable with her endless enthusiasm (I hope they continue down the road) at the Brandywine, went on the tours of the houses etc. I remember reading he admired Durer – so I went to find out who that was and what he produced which led to the next artist and on and on again. I now go to enjoy art every Sunday at museums and galleries from New Haven to Washington DC (just ask my wife and daughter – they roll their eyes when I go on and on about the next exhibit I am going to and what books I am reading!).
I have Mr. Wyeth to thank for opening my eyes to the beauty and enjoyment of his and other artists work. I always hoped that on one of my visits to the Brandywine (always looking for a new picture in the wall) that I may happen upon him strolling through a gallery and I could go up to him and just say “thank you” for opening this new world to me – I can’t now but I hope his family reads this and will know that he enriched my life very much.
Thank You Mr. Wyeth – you will be missed
January 17, 2009 at 3:58 pm
I have loved Andrew Weyth’s work for all of my adult life. I have taught art in public schools and always introduced my students to his vision. I simply love the paintings within the paintings and have every publication of his work. I drove a 1964 VW Bug for years with a dented rear fender because the insurance check to repair it was spent on the first publication of a large book that cost $50.00. I was very poor in those days and bought the book with the check instead of repairing my car. The joy of that book far out weighed the fender. When ever I look for comfort, I turn to my library with all of his publications. Now as an artist myself at 68 years old, I continually study his work and get energized when I lose my focus. I do not paint in his style but he inspires me and engergizes me in my intergalactic paintings as a zoom in on the my subjects with a like intensity. Thank you, Mr. Weyth!
January 17, 2009 at 4:02 pm
Andrew Wyeth’s death is a sad time for all of us. I grieve for the entire Wyeth family, and I am sending special condolences to his sweet grandaughter Victoria. My husband Virgil Armstrong worked for a brief time at the Brandywine River Museum after his retirement and before his death in 2005. As an artist himself, he wanted to be surrounded by Andrew’s paintings. Upon my husband’s death Victoria especially showed me such gracious condolences. I feel such sympathy for you Victoria and I know how comforting your grandfather’s paintings will always be to you. He will always be with you through his artwork. My very deepest sympathy to you and the Wyeth family. He will be sadly missed, but never forgotten.
January 17, 2009 at 4:15 pm
Having been a third generation growing up in the Chadds Ford and Unionville area, I have always deeply related to Andy’s ability to capture the tremendous beauty of the hills and nature of the Brandywine valley.
Tubing down the river, seeing Andy at the Tavern, walking through the woods collecting arrowheads and admiring the wonderful architecture are my memories of my youth.
Andy struck chord inside me that, to this day, is hard to communicate to people who do not know about Chadds Ford’s eternal wonderment.
I feel that I have lost a long time friend and I am sadden. But, as selfish as that is I know Andy lived a long and happy life doing what he loved most. We are privilaged that he lets us see through his eyes and to give us glimpses into our soul.
Rest in piece.
January 17, 2009 at 4:28 pm
I WORKED AT THE BRANDYWINE RIVER MUSEUM 14 YEARS AGO. I HAD THE PLEASURE OF NOT ONLY MEETING ANDREW, BUT HAVING AN OCCASIONAL LUNCH AND COFFEE WITH HIM IN THE RESTAURANT WITH OUR MUTUAL FRIEND, PHYLL MAGILL. HE WAS A VERY KIND, AND GENEROUS MAN THAT WOULD ALWAYS STOP BY THE MUSEUM SHOP TO SAY HELLO TO ALL OF US THAT WORKED THERE. I HAVE VERY FOND MEMORIES OF HIM IN HIS BROWN SUIT AND AQUA SOCKS! HE WILL BE MISSED BY ALL THE PEOPLE HE HAS INSPIRED, AND BE A LEGEND TO ALL FUTURE ARTISTS. MY SINCERE SYMPATHIES TO THE WYETH FAMILY. KATHY ARMSTRONG-CARTER
January 17, 2009 at 4:29 pm
Andrew Wyeth had the good fortune of living his life doing exactly what he wanted to do.
We all have had the good fortune of being touched to our souls by what he did.
My world is a much better place with Andrew Wyeth in it.
He was MY artist, and he will always BE my artist.
January 17, 2009 at 4:37 pm
The world has lost a great man that has touched my inner soul with his work since I was a young boy in the 60’s. I spent many summers in Hockessin at my aunts and uncles home and would always make the trip to Chadds Ford and Longwood Garden. I have three of Andy’s works hanging in my home in which everyday they talk to me of simplistic beauty in our world. My most memorable time at the museum was 2 summers ago when Andy’s granddaughter gave the afternoon tour. She brought a whole new understanding of the man and his works to me. My deepest condolences to the family. Know that you are in my prayers. Andy, thank you for making my life richer and fuller.
January 17, 2009 at 5:24 pm
and then, disappear’d and moving, like a thin’d skirt of curtain across the face of an open window, goes Wyeth….
for whatever reason, and all reasons, I have loved Wyeth….have never quite understood the disdain blanketed upon him by the modern art world, but maybe i have too personalized his work, since it has been apart of my own life, my own childhood. As an artist convinced of the necessity of introspection and the need to sharpen this, the need to pulley over the hermetic and abstract winding of images and words as a way to speak about that which remains nearly unspeakable, my entire life as a writer and a reader, my life as a maker of things and carnivorous nibbler of things, my heart has always belonged to the modern, to eschew easy dilectics or easily understood objects, for all that is wonderous and dark in this world. Is it possible to love joyce and perec, beckett and kathy acker, kline, rothko,, beuys, duschamp, viola and still need Wyeth. For me, the answer is of course. Maybe it is the childhood that i have not yet been able to transcend. I grew up in love with Wyeth and wobbled at the pull of my parents inside the rooms of the Brandywine museum, in love with the strange and singularly personal paintings of Wyeth since i was a kid and long long before Helga splashed across the coffee tables of the country, the beginning not at all Christina’s World, but the gold and austere landscapes, the haunted and unmistakably ghost-licked interiors, the algebra of loss and recalculation….though beuys, eventually, would become one of my heros, just as those twin giacos (giacometti and giacomelli), just as Antunes would occupy my heart, Rothko the moments i felt alone, Pollack when i was drinking and at a loss to express anything but violent, earthy gesture, still there was always those landscpaes, those interiors, those family dramas of silence and earth and white wind and black hares….and still, for whatever reason, the paintings, both the egg temperas and the watercolors, resonate inside me….maybe it is obdurate arrogance, maybe it’s the inability to jettison my childhood wonder and started surprise as those paintings, but a part of me feel bereft with his death….his politics, as depicted by others and often his embrace of ‘for america” politicians, left me confused, one thing is for certain, the paintings till come back to me in dreams…he painted my dream life, o r a part of my dream life…is it possible to tell that my dreams were composed of both his interiors and experteriors just as Duchamps “Etant donnés” live inside my head too…..
a part of my childhood gone…the peeling away of all things….
What is the purpose of Burn….what is the purpose of what each of us in our own way sets a course to investigate, reflect, argue, auger, and place small made objects up for viewing….
at least for me, it is twined….all those things which speak to us of what we are….no matter the course or language or appearance of them…
i feel grieved with his death, just as i feel a boney hurt when thinking of Wilmarth, or Beuys or Joyce writing his life out when the world turned aside….
all those things….the interior and the exterior…and how arrogant we are to think that we know….
a simple picture from Editor Harvey….and then the goodbyes which stay with us, long after the disappearing….
that is, for me, the language of what shall remain….
http://tinyurl.com/8zz99a
and i have always LOVED the David Alan Harvey photograph…even more than the shot with Helga or the shots by HCB…because for me, it captures Wyeth as I think of him…still the quiet child, listening to his father’s NC’s stories, of which his illustrations were part of growing up for many of us: Stevenson, Cooper, dickens…and there he is, the child, strong and fragile, caught in his room imaging the world around…those magnificent soil-stained, egg-yolk clutched hands and the face, the face of a Maine island carved by wind…as i tried to write this morning (and above), i have never understood the critical piss-off he received, then again, i have a ridiculously emotional loyalty to those whove opened my life….and before school and university and before seeing all the moderns that broke my heart and life wide open, Wyeth’s haunting begain: he taught me what it meant to see the invisible in the cornices of room, what it meant to listen to the shape of the land beneath the weight of an earthen swept sky, what it meant to be alone and solitary and to express that in the gesture of egg yoke and color and water and time….and i’ve never understood his work as ‘realism’ but as hermetic and abstract and emotional as telling stories to yourself as you walk through the country, as you fall fast to bed…if the modern elevated the interior and the individual to olympic heights, Wyeth for me still stands as the individual expression of a life and land that, no matter how often charted remains a mystery…that, for me, he is considered an ‘american’ painter seems unimportant so much as he, for me, is a painter of reconiliation and loss…our small selves against the larger body of land and time and what is gone….
in the end, people’s politics vanish, but for the way they have carved out their lives….
our legacy….
his loyalty to his vision and to those around him, at least for me, is what matters…and that there too will be a young girl or young boy, as i went my father used to drive us to Brandywine, who will be picked and poked and ensorcelled by these paintings, long after we knew all that surrounded his life, that is the testament to the life lived….
bb
January 17, 2009 at 6:28 pm
My wife and I had the distinct pleasure years ago of going down to the Whitney Museum in New York City to see Mr. Wyeth’s painting on display in a show that just took my breath away. I have always admired and loved his work and feel so honored that I was actually able to go see an exhibitiion of his work rather than just look at his painting in art books that I have. I am not an artist but i consider Mr. Wyeth to be one who has contributed to our nations history as an artist and as a decent and honorable man. We were so lucky to have such a talented man in our lives for such a long time he will be missed but his work will always live on in our lives.
January 17, 2009 at 6:30 pm
thank you Mr. Wyeth for your wonderful contributions to all of our lives through your art.
January 17, 2009 at 8:16 pm
Growing up as a young boy in PA, I knew little about Andrew Wyeth or his work. As I ventured into the profession of art and art education, I discovered his work. Almost instantly, I connected with his style and subject matter – because what he painted seemed uncannily so familiar to my own childhood experiences with nature. Although I had never met the man, it was through experiencing and admiring his work where I felt as though I had known him my entire life.
Thanks Andy for the inspiration. Though you opus has come to a close, your creative vein still flows strong in my creative soul.
January 17, 2009 at 8:39 pm
I want to extend my sincere condolences to the Wyeth families.
As a young illustrator, I was introduced to Andrew by Christina’s World. Loved the stark depiction and precision. I wanted to see the catalogue in person. A colleague asked what artists I liked, when I mentioned Wyeth, he asked, N.C.? No. I only knew of Andrew at that time. Discovering N.C. was another world. His love of color and dramatic scenes grabbed me. I had to see the work in person, went to the Brandywine. Had read N.C.’s letters, had books on him and Andrew. Intimate with the scenes illustrated, I found driving around the Brandwine and Chadds Ford areas full of echoes and surprises; there’s the milk barn, there’s the bridge, there’s the remains of the round schoolhouse, the farm with the rail fence…the fields.
A few summers later I determined to visit Port Clyde, ME and rented a house just two doors away from N.C’s home. Late in his 80’s at this point, I would see Andrew being driven to paint in N.C.’s studio. One day, I walked over and found a handful of eggshells just outside of the studio door. Working in egg tempera required a ready suply of fresh eggs. A friend and fellow artist teased me that I should write a book called Stalking the Wyeths. I winced, but reveled in having a direct connection to their work. I had simply hoped to have the opportunity to meet him, ask for guidance on my craft.
Visits to Homer’s cottage at Cape Elizabeth, and treks retracing the locales that inspired Homer, Rockwell Kent, N.C., Andrew, and Jamie brought me to Monhegan, Cushing and Blue Hill among other places. It is one thing to see a picture in a book, another to see it in person, and a real treat to be in the same place. My visit to the Olson farm revealed the actual rooms Andrew worked in. Strokes where he cleaned his brushes are still visible on some walls.
What I am most impressed with about Andrew’s approach was telling a story indirectly. The wear on the door step. The stuffed rag in the broken window. The lines in the face. Andrew’s work moved away from the kind of illustrative depiction found in Rockwell, with dramatic facial and postural action, to work that required one to take it in. The patient observer finds stories that draw from a keenly observed life, but whose visual language is more subtle, calling attention to the presence of a subject, unseen, through close examination of their settings, their tools. In bearing with the demand that we look closer, one is rewarded with another kind of intimacy and a spiritual dimension that lingers, draws one in, reveals further the mystery of life.
I write to express my profound thanks to Andrew Wyeth and the Wyeth family for their enormous contribution to our cultural heritage, and personally, to my own development as an artist.
Raymond MacDonald
Braintree, MA
January 17, 2009 at 8:46 pm
My favorite artist died today. Andrew Wyeth was 91. Pretty Old. Died in his sleep. Way to go Andy. Good for you. Thanks for your work. You inspired the artist in many I’m sure. F@#% the critics. They WANT to have taste. You cannot own what you don’t posess. We loved you and will always loved the work you left us. Thank You.
January 17, 2009 at 11:22 pm
I was a young girl, and my father was very ill. It was a very difficult time for my family. I discovered Christina’s World, and was struck that someone expressed in paint the overwhelming feeling I was having with my sick parent. I read everything I could about Andrew, and became a life long fan. I finally got to the Brandywine Museum many years later. A couple of men were talking about Winslow Homer, I thought man, he really knows about art, then he gestured in a sweeping motion with his hand. I recognized the gesture from the PBS special about N.C. Wyeth. I not only got the incredible opportunity to meet Andrew, but I met Jamie as well. Jamie had just hung a painting in the museum, and he and Andrew were talking art. It is more than I could have ever hope to have met them both. I was born in 1954, and in many ways I feel that Andrew was our artist, just as I feel that Steinbeck was our author. The ones who came just before, and developed as we were coming into being. It’s almost a sense that they parent us, guiding our sensibilities, so that we are ever mindful of others, and ourselves. When I look at Andrews paintings, I feel that I am a child again reaching high above my head to reach the handle of my father’s pick up truck so that we can go to the Amaco diner for chocolate milk, and powdered doughnuts. We are so blessed to have had Andrew to freeze that time in history. I have known people who were very much like the people he painted, and I have loved them dearly. It is hard to grasp the idea of Andrew being gone, and I feel sorry for his family, however having read so much of the things he has written about his love of bare trees. It is fitting that he should leave us in the depths of a Winter such as this. Bless you Andrew, and thank you for your very special gift!
January 18, 2009 at 12:27 am
It is with fond memories and a great respect for Andrew Wyeth and his family that we look to honor the spirit of this great man. To Betsy and Jamie and the Wyeth family, to friends and companions, we offer our condolences, and our tobacco that the Creator may guide his journey to the spirit world, where the earth meets the sky in a ceremony of sunrise and sunset that illuminates and darkens the endless horizon.
Woliwon, opc oc nomiyal nitap.
January 18, 2009 at 12:34 am
I want to thank Mr. Wyeth and his family for showing the world how beautiful and special Chadds Ford is.
January 18, 2009 at 12:58 am
Like many others, I lost a neighbor yesterday. And this neighbor was a man of incredible talent and vision who captured the elements of everyday life in such a way that one’s imagination was inspired.
I grew up in Chadds Ford, and recall many a trip to the Brandywine River Museum as a child. I must have gone there every year from first through fifth grade at Chadds Ford Elementary at Christmas and several times since. Starting from those early days, I was inspired by the great artwork of Andrew Wyeth. I recall seeing the man that all the locals referred to as Andy around town, and the humility of this great man still astounds me today. His art, and that of his family, are the illustrations of my world.
As fate would have it, I have lived in two places in my life, Chadds Ford, PA and the Midcoast area of Maine. Today, I live not far from the Wyeth summer residence, and to everyone back in Chester and Delaware Counties I can assure you that he and his art is as much of a treasure to the people of Maine, as to the Brandywine Valley.
Thank you Andy for making my life, and the lives of so many other richer through your art, your philanthropy, and your humility.
January 18, 2009 at 1:38 am
Mr. Wyeth was always an inspiration to me during my studies at PAFA and throughout my life until this day, and he will continue to inspire me until my own dying day. May the Wyeth family receive comfort in knowing how his art has touched millions, and will continue to do so for many, many generations to come. I am so sorry for your loss.
January 18, 2009 at 2:03 am
as a painter I saw Andrew Wyeth as being bigger than life. I can not imagine realism today with out Andrew Wyeth , he influenced so many painters working today. He was like a great spirit. Looking at his work in books was like reading the best poetry imaginable. I always think about Wyeth’s work and have always looked to him for inspiration as an honest, true and unusual artist. He was in everything he painted and its always a joy and priveledge to see his work. I feel like Andrew Wyeth was a wonderful blessing.
Painters and artist everywhere are feeling a huge loss.
Thank you Andrew Wyeth, for giving me so much.
January 18, 2009 at 2:24 am
My heart is broken….I’ve been a big fan of Mr. Wyeth since I was a teen back in the 60’s. I hoped he would live forever!
January 18, 2009 at 2:59 am
Andrew Wyeth’s works were a strange understanding to me. I never met the man and yet, I started to write hiim so many letters. I wanted to let him know how his works spoke to me. I imagined that if we met, we’d get along. (Either that or he’d tell me to bugger off.) When reading his biography, I felt as though I were eavesdropping. I remember a story about him standing near a painting at one of his openings. He didn’t want to distract the photographer or art critic and the photogrpaher said, “Oh, don’t worry. You’re no competition for your artwork.” I thought that was brilliant. So, what would Mr. Wyeth think of me being sad on this day? Eh, he’d probably tell me to bugger off. And this is what I truly enjoyed about his work – the honesty and mystery. May his family be comforted during this time.
January 18, 2009 at 5:00 am
Once in Maine – about 1 9 7 4 – we were travelling with the then President of the New England watercolor society , Larry Webster ( also R I P ) , and happened upon one of Andy’s subjects , ( the fisherman ) in Port Clyde . He asked us , ” What are you doing up he’ya , Larry ? ” Larry responded , ” i guess we’ve just come to see the sights .” The fisherman responded with a , ” Whelp , you’ve just seen one of ’em , ” and then pointed a bony finger to his profiled and chisled face , the one we all know . A’yuh •
January 18, 2009 at 5:37 am
I loved Andrew Wyeth’s work because he FELT through the subject to the background and mystically became one with all of IT and was then able to transfer the experience to us-allowing us to lose ourselves and merge with the painting in the same way that Cezanne’s later work allows us to do and Friedrich’s as well. In the same way he describes his sittings with Christina, “It wasn’t what was said but what wasn’t”. He was able to commune with others on a soul level. How rare is that. The critics FEEL nothing sublime. That is why they only talk and say nothing because they FEEL nothing’yet’ of what must be FELT to be seen. Wyeth is way beyond intellectualizing about nothing. He always FELT and let us FEEL as well the true reality. Obviously he was a contemplative mystic who continues on!!!!!!
January 18, 2009 at 7:09 am
The world has lost a wonderful artist. His work is reminiscent of simpler times. Perhaps we should take a cue from his works and appreciate these fine gifts which are right in front of us. Through his eyes and by his hand calmness emanated.
January 18, 2009 at 1:51 pm
Andrew was and will always be a private, yet resounding inspiration to many and will be dearly missed.
There is a magnetic pull in Chester County, and I am sure Maine as well, although I have never been,…a pull that is very hard to ignore…something that I have never once experienced anywhere else in the United States or the world. I think that is why I am still here. I can’t leave it. I don’t know if you had to grow up here to feel this. I believe most anyone can appreciate the history, the simple beauty, the pastoral landscapes, the rolling hills, winding roads and brilliant green and yellow hues…
But from my experience, not everyone senses what lies beneath it all. There is something much deeper than the surface. There is a very heavy and rich past here that is actually very alive and in the present …even a heavy future that the land seems to be trying very hard to hold off…so it can preserve what has been and is…so it is not forgotten. You have to walk it to know it. You have to immerse yourself in it, to feel it.
Andrew sensed this deeply. It is apparent in his words, his lifestyle, his family and his work. His art goes much deeper than some critics would like to admit or can see. He lived it, experienced it, craved it, studied it and inevitably was moved to capture it and recreate it. While at the same time adding his very own personal experiences that took place during his time here. Representing those experiences in ways none of may ever know or understand fully.
That is what art is to me. A personal experience and portrayal of the life that surrounds you. Something private and hidden. I never met this man, but it was a dream to shake his hand and to say thank you, before he passed. I wrote a letter years ago that I never had the courage to send. I wish I had. I was influenced by him and this land, from a very young age. His work became a catalyst in discovering what art was and what it meant to me personally.
A question many spend countless hours, years debating…endlessly and painfully. I greatly dislike that question. What is art? No one will ever have the answer. It is subjective. Period.
This is my delayed Thank You to and my Deepest Appreciation for Andrew Wyeth. He will not be forgotten.
January 18, 2009 at 2:28 pm
I fell in love with the work of Andrew Wyeth when I was 19 and the library where I worked received The Art of Andrew Wyeth with Wind from the Sea on the cover. It was if you could feel the breeze blowing the curtains. Never able to afford the real thing, I have been fortunate to travel to many of the exhibits of his work over the last few years. Beginning in Jacksonville, Florida in 1992, I have visited as many exhibits as I could. The last being in New York a couple of years ago when the Helga paintings were on exhibit at a gallery. The most pleasurable to the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland, Maine the year the section dedicated to the Wyeths opened. I was also lucky to have Victoria give the tour. What a truly gifted man he was and what a beautiful, fun family he enjoyed. I am sorry for your loss and to the loss we all feel who love his work. He will live on forever in every painting, sketch, or doodle he created for all of us to enjoy.
January 18, 2009 at 2:30 pm
His paintings always engage my deepest emotions; regret, longing, hopefulness, sadness and joy. His paintings allow me to conect to the fragilities of life and reminded me to reach out to the moment. I believe he captured the landscape of one of the most beautiful places in the world. When I hike the Laurels on a winter day, it is difficult for me to not picture a Wyeth painting as I digest the landscape. This is the gift that he has given us.
January 18, 2009 at 3:10 pm
I am so sorry he is gone. My family moved to Chadds Ford in 1962 and became ‘acquainted’ with the Wyeth Family who roamed those beautiful hills and back roads enjoying the natural beauty and marvelous history of the place. In any season of the year, Chadds Ford has a quiet, special feeling to it, but no more so than in the cold, grey winter…..
What a privilege it was for me to be invited to help with the beginnings of the incomparable Brandywine River Museum from the old coal/lumber yard where it started. “Chadds Ford Days” was the moniker for that first event – wonder if any of the Rev War flags we painted and sewed still survive in someone’s attic box; planning meetings were held at Mrs. Ladd’s lovely home; Margaret Robinson did the PR and advertising for the event; everyone baked or cooked something to be sold…money was nonexistant at that time for the project. At some point, construction and cleanup started and before we knew it, a Wyeth Family Show was ready to open so “real” money could be put toward the establishment of the BR Museum!
The volunteers were espeically trained to answer questions about the art, techniques, etc., so we all felt quite confident that we could handle any questions coming our way. To our surprise, everyone was very polite about our knowledge of the art, but they wanted to know details about members of this family of artists – where did they live, did they grow up in Chadds Ford, who married whom, how many children…… After that show, everyone involved realized how important it was to continue the work to build a repository devoted to all the work of the family so that people knew it as well as they wanted to know the Wyeth family.
Why were people so interested in the Wyeth Family? Because they were like any other families who lived in Chadds Ford – except they were FAMOUS. But to those of us who lived in the little community they were Andy and Betsy, Carolyn, Natt, NC, etc. They were at Pete’s, they were at the Post Office, they were at the Chadds Ford Elementary School to judge the children’s Clothes Line Art Show and they did it every year. The show was a very serious event because the children knew who the judges were and that they looked at their work in a serious manner. Besides the halls and classrooms all had original Wyeths hanging on the walls and someday one of the children might have their work hanging there as well.
Andrew Wyeth kept a bit of Chadds Ford private and for himself even though he shared it with the world – a very trickey thing to do. Maybe not; maybe he worked on the details of that feeling as carefully as he worked on preliminary drawings of small details in his paintings…
I feel fortunate to have lived in Chadds Ford when it was small, rural, quiet and a special place just off Route 1 where the Wyeth Family were my neighbors.
January 18, 2009 at 4:38 pm
For 42 years, the life and work of Andrew Wyeth has been an important part of my own life and artistic endeavors. This personal journey began with a viewing of the artist’s work at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. My uncle, an artist, took me to the exhibition. It was 1966 and I was 14 years old. That day began a life -long love affair with the Wyeth world of beauty and sadness.
I mourn the loss of this remarkable man. Our culture has lost yet another advocate and practitioner of true fine art. But while his flesh has returned to the earth and his soul to heaven, Andrew Wyeth left us with the gift of his art.
William David Brown
Wilmington, Delaware
18 January 2008
January 18, 2009 at 5:19 pm
I met Mr. Wyeth when I hitchhiked from Ohio to Chadds Ford to meet him. I was an art student in Cleveland and introduced to his work in my freshman year. I decided on a pilgrimage to Chadds Ford. I knocked on his door and he greeted me, a nobody with caring and compassion and invited me to stay the night at the Granary on his property. He invited me back the next year and I took him up on it. We not only lost a great artist, but a wonderful, compassionate and caring man. I’ll miss him.
January 18, 2009 at 6:38 pm
I think many of us Chadds Ford natives owe a large part of our pride to Andrew, we saw the areas he painted day after day and felt closer to him than most others could understand. I remember him fondly, from seeing him at the Wawa in a paint splattered coat to hearing stories of him flirting with my mother at the bus stop on Bullock Rd. We feel fiercely protective of him and knew that he returned the favor as he was simply ‘our artist’. Thank you Andy for your many gifts.
January 18, 2009 at 6:40 pm
Andrew Wyeth – A giant in art! I take long walks in is paintings and sublime drawings. He enriches everyone’s life the way he sees nature – even a simple person must be drawn to his work. So much beauty everywhere – so strange and haunting at times. His large body of work is amazing, considering the fine details. He is on top of the pyramid of artists; together with Albrecht Duerer, Pablo Picasso, Jan Vermeer van Delft, and others!
January 18, 2009 at 9:27 pm
When I heard about Andrew Wyeth’s death on Friday afternoon, I was stunned and physically upset. A shiverof profound sadness traveled through my body. I whimpered. I have never met Mr. Wyeth or sat in Wyeth household kitchen, or conversed with Betsy Wyeth. However, I have seen hundreds of Mr. Wyeth’s temperas and watercolors, many times, both in Philadelphia, and during frequent Maine trips, at the Farnsworth Museum in Rockland, Maine “known as the Wyeth locally”. I have stood, and stood, and stood in front of Andrew Wyeth paintings, and had great difficulty pulling myself away. Mr. Wyeth’s art took me to the barebones of my soul. The awe of his art left a message in my soul. I was touched. I yearned to thank him in person for “Spring Beauty” “Far From Needham”, ‘Geraniums”, “Airborne, and “Long Limb” . I awed at skill level, vision, and intreptation.
I traveled to Cushing, Maine to see the Olsen house last August. I have stood and sat in Christina and Alvaro Olsen’s house on that tiny penninsula. I walked down to the graveyard where Christina and her family are buried, a small wooded area near the sea. Walking from the Olsen graveyard back to the house, I could imagine Christina crawling back to the house as Andrew so mysteriously and beautifully painted. I was overwhelmed with sadness by the courage and tragedy of her life. Yet, if not for this painting, its emotional impact, the genius artist, would I, or others ever traveled and stood in the Olsen house?
My profound gratitude to Andrew Wyeth for painting, for Betsy Wyeth for organizing and managing the reproductions and exhibits so that we could witness this work, and for N.C.Wyeth for teaching Andrew to draw and paint. To both Betsy and Andrew, thank you for donating paintings to the Farnsworth Museum
Today I will write a poem for Mr. Wyeth. I sit here with books of his exhibits and read the front-page story of his passing in the NY Times. I don’t care about the art critics and their opinion of Andrew Wyeth’s work. I have been profoundly and favorably touched forever by his work. Thank you for allowing me to express myself here. It is time I now visit the Brandywine Museum – Regards, Dolores Phillips
January 18, 2009 at 11:26 pm
I have been a devoted follower of Mr. Wyeth’s work since my first encounter doing a research paper as a 13 year old. It turned at that the Brandywine River Museum, the Kuerner Farm, and Wyeth’s home are 15 minutes from my Grandparents old farm in PA. This past November, 39 years after my first encounter with his work, I made a pilgrimage to Chadds Ford to reconnect with my own roots through his artistry. Unlike Jim, I did not have the nerve to knock on the door of the Granary, but felt privileged to able to compose some photographs from a distance. I was also thrilled to be the only one of the final tour of the day to Kuerner’s Farm. Seeing some of the actual locations of the paintings helped me appreciate Mr. Wyeth’s extraordinary power of perception and skill of communication. Clearly, the most thrilling part of the trip was seeing some of his newest work. As is true of all great artists, Wyeth’s work continued, and will continue, to help one see the world afresh…as if for the first time. The artist is gone. I mourn his passing. Yet his extraordinary work remains. We are richer for his artistry.
January 19, 2009 at 12:31 am
As a young artist I became aware of Andrew Wyeth on September 13, 1968 when I purchased his large book titled,”ANDREW WYETH.” I was in aw of what I saw and from that moment Mr. Wyeth became my mentor.
Many years later I got to meet the man behind this marvelous work and we talked artist to artist.
Not often does a person get to meet his mentor, but even more rare is it that the mentor
doesn’t become a disappointment. He was more then I could have expected. Not once did Andrew want to talk about himself, all he wanted to talk about was me.
Andrew painted with out his ego getting in the way of the many layers of paint. The honesty in representing raw feelings in doing a painting leaves one very vulnerable to the out side world, and he did this painting after painting.
Mr. Andrew Wyeth will be missed but his essence will live on through his work as one of the most
important artist in the history of art on our planet.
I wished I had gotten to know him better.
My heart and prayers goes out to Betsy and her family.
January 19, 2009 at 12:47 am
The world has truly lost a genius. I can only feel fortunate that he was with us for as long as he was. He has inspired and touched me. Thank you Andy for all that you have given us.
January 19, 2009 at 12:53 am
To a man who changed the way I see the world…forever an inspiration and forever in my heart!
January 19, 2009 at 2:01 am
I was a young artist working at a “Framery” and the owner asked me if I would stay a little later one evening.Well,I wasn’t very enthused with the idea since it was winter and the walk home was a good two miles, but I reluctantly agreed. Around closing time, Marshall, my boss, comes over to me and my pile of customer frames and grinningly asks me to come to the matting room. Before entering he stressed that I be very, very, careful with what he was about to show me which didn’t surprise me since matting needed to be pristine and a single peace of lint could mean the disassembly of a completed print or art work. I then followed him to the matting table where he streesed that “no one” must know of what he was about to show me. This was amazing to me, we framed for many famous national and internation artists, but this was different? OK, so somthing unique was about to be shown to me. By taking up a large portion of the matting table, he began to unroll the first of a few origonal Andrew Wyeth studies of his dogs which as of yet had been seen by a just handful of people. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Suddenly, I was realizing that art can poses qualities far beyond technique to embody that, that is intangible yet completly relevent to the spirit of what it is to be alive. I was eveloped with the sense that I was witnessing the work of a truly great artist, and I was. I was witnesing history.
My walk home that night was effortless.
January 19, 2009 at 2:10 am
Andrew Wyeth came to my attention when I was a young student in Montreal. Now living in London, UK, I am still haunted by his paintings in a most wonderful way. God bless Andrew.
January 19, 2009 at 3:02 am
To Mrs. Wyeth, Nicholas, James, Victoria & Frolic & friends – my sympathies to you. Snow falls, coating the pine tree. What better a setting for a fine man to be laid to rest. I had the priviledge of speaking with George Heebner on several occasions, thanks to Mr. Wyeth. George told me, “Andy said he wants to die here”. God gave him one last Christmas & snowfall. Night fell last night and i wept in my car for those same pines were dark and eerie – but there was hope! To bring what gifts he gave me to new work. I have not known in my adult life (45) what it is like to feel this sense of loss – and even though I didn’t know him, I feel it. A voice tells me – it’s ok…he would have wanted you to create something – special. I am one of those lucky people who can do more than stick figures on a 2-dimensional surface. Imagination. Mr. Wyeth had superb imagination and the technique – well, you know. Yesterday a yellow sign was glowing in the snow – again he was with me. Long, warm gray shadows were streaking across the landscape.
Last June I took a drive to Chadds Ford to look again at the work and to ‘soak it up’. It was late afternoon and I turned down a road near the Mill. I thought if Mr. Wyeth had left for Maine? I was looking at the landscape and the Mill and all of a sudden I see the brown Chevy Suburban pulling around the turn with the back door open!I knew I had to hustle – I went up to the driveway and Mr. Wyeth got out…”Sorry for the intrusion!” I yelled. “You look great!”, I said. “You do too”, stated Mr. W. I saw the back of the truck open with white board… I thought a new watercolor?! I patted him on the back and said it’s great to see you. He was wearing blue tights tucked into black slipper shoes with flat bottom. Brown turtleneck & tweed brown sportcoat. I showed & gave him a color copy of a painting I was proud of, “The Quest for the Vernal Pond”…”You did That?!” he said. He liked the way i did the water – (which was like the surface of Jupiter to me). I thanked him knowing that he had to go show his love the new painting. He said, “Well good luck to you”….
The following week the watercolor, “Stop” was premiered at The Brandywine.
January 19, 2009 at 3:05 am
Andrew Wyeth’s Christina’s World touched my soul when I first saw it. There will never be another artist to compare.
May he rest in peace.
January 19, 2009 at 3:29 am
I love it when Andrew says “when a painting is good it will be mostly memory of what it is.” Now what does he mean by that? He means our remembrance of the Garden before thinking took over and we forgot how to FEEL with knowingness into the background wherein lies the memory or what we-all of us are, at our core. That is why he made a point of saying he would not take a picture of the subject and go home and paint that. Why? because yes, by sitting with the subject the FEELING, the back ground, the soul of it seeps into the observer and he into the object, and from that communion ALL is known. You don’t have to look at anythng anymore because you have become it. And yes, that is the state of LOVE.
So I for one think that he did not have intimate relations with Helga because the LOVE of communion with another is so rarefied that you do not need anything else. And if you did stray then ego-thinking would taint it. And there would go your muse which gets you IN to heaven. And if you have ever had anything that gets you into you art and heaven you don’t mess with it, unless you are like Sting and know how to have tantric sex which is sex accompanied entirely by the spiritual state–and few can do that.
Now how many artists even know how to get IN where they lose themselves in flowing, loving silence? Most artists are tormented thinking technicians just like most people and most critics. When Andrew spoke of these things he became a knowing child-seer like. It is too bad that so few can see into this quality and understand it through FEEL. Just watch his hands the way he moves them when he speaks. Just watching them can get one IN. He really Feels it all.
And his curiosity continues . . .
January 19, 2009 at 4:01 am
My thoughts and prayers are with the Wyeth family as I am sure Andrew, like his daddy N.C., was a powerful figure. I bought an Andrew Wyeth print as a young girl and hung it over the fireplace. Years later I became a dedicated fan of N. C.’s and have any book I can get and many prints hanging in my home. For some reason I connect with N. C. especially and his family member through their lives, work and deeds. I agree with Bob on another blog thought that Andy is now with N. C. and having a great time. He has been promoted!
God Bless the Wyeth family, America’s first family of art.
Sally Snow, Upland, CA.
January 19, 2009 at 10:25 am
I Feel sorrow of his going into the heavens above, as I am sure his family does. My deepest heartfelt regards go to his family and friends as well as to all of his models. I am sure that each person feels towards Andrew Wyeth (in their own legacy) of what they see and hear and have known of him and in that each one have grown a bit more, from him.
I know I have grown a great dael more from experiencing Andrew Wyeth. Thank you for the experiences you have given me, I am deeply grateful to you, Andrew for that and always will be.
Because of Andrew Wyeth I have reached heights that I would never thought possible could be from me because of you.
Yet, the real truth is that I really do not know him personally, only at a distance do I know him. From what I have read in his books and looked at pictures of his ideals, and yet he seems to be around. Who knows maybe that will still be the case? He is sort of around and yet not. YEAH. That sort of fills the gaps and makes me feel better for saying that. I have always dealt with a ghost, in his secret life. I wish with all of my heart that Andrew can rest in peace now, he deserves that time now, for he never gave up his art work even in the end, even when he was very weary from what I am told of his working and falling asleep while doing it. At least he lead a successful and very full and good life. God Bless you Andrew Wyeth and one day I might get the chance to met you in the here after where there is no strings attached to it. But I say (OH NO) that brings in another string to it, so I now say, Love to see it sooner than my own death. Which brings this around to why I have regrets towards your going now. Wish you were here with us still.
AH heck, I told this to myself dealing with Richard Nixon he has the best seats, so now that he is dead he sees it all. Found out that Nixon told that to Biden on the phone call he made to him, his first wifes death, the very same words. I told Obama on dealing with his grandmother and later to Biden and then they aired the tape on the news of Nixon telling Biden SHE HAS THE BEST SEATS. NOW I HAVE TO TELL MYSELF you have the best seats now Andrew so enjoy it. I just hope something more happens so you can see it up there and with us. OK so my words now are to you directly (Andy, SEE IT). You saw a light once and now you are beholding it for yourself. GOD BLESS YOU ON EARTH and NOW GOD BLESS YOU IN HEAVEN.
PS. While you are up there with God send a bit of laugher down here, we sure do need it about now!!!
January 19, 2009 at 2:54 pm
My family and I moved to Chadds Ford in 1990 and I was so sad to leave my native New York – but happy that Chadds Ford would be our new home because of Andrew Wyeth and his family and their wonderful works of art. I have enjoyed following his amazing journey and so sad to hear that it had ended. I was alone when I heard the news of his passing and I cried because we will not be able to witness anymore of his unique and wonderful works of art and view of the world. Because of his work – I could actually feel where we were moving not just see it and for that I will be forever grateful. When my children were very young in 1990 – age 9 and 6 we were in Wawa on Route 1 across from Hank’s Place and Andrew Wyeth came in to pick up a sandwich – I was so shocked I didn’t even say a word and told my children to remember that day that they had seen an American institution and a great artist – to this day they remember how excited I was just to be in the same building as he was and they have a greater love of art because of his influence. We have visited and joined the Brandywine Museum and Conservancy and everyone who comes to visit us from the US and Europe has made the trip there with us and shared in the beautiful art. We especially love the tours with Victoria as she provides such great insight and background on the paintings you come away feeling even more satisfied with the knowledge she shares – you can feel her love for her grandfather when she speaks. I want to send my family’s sympathy to the entire Wyeth family and they will be our thoughts and prayers. My father recently passed away and there is a hole left by someone passsing that no one can fill – but at least they have his beautiful art to help them through their grief. Thank you for the chance to express our love for Mr Wyeth’s work and legacy and our sympathy to his family at his passing. He will be so missed!
January 19, 2009 at 2:57 pm
My deepest and most sincere condolences to Andrew Wyeth’s family. They have lost their beloved family member and the world has lost a truly great artist. He will be missed, to be sure, but we are all fortunate to have his work which will live on and continue to bless us all.
January 19, 2009 at 3:17 pm
My wife and I have enjoyed many hours together enjoying the Brandywine Museum and all it has to offer. We grew to love the times we had alone just studying Andrew Wyeth’s body of work and it brought us even closer without saying a word – just experiencing the wonder of it all. Our whole family was so sad to hear that he had passed – but glad that he did not suffer and was surrounded by his family as it should be. The world was a better place for having him here and his brilliant view of the world around him. He was an American treasure and we count ourselves lucky to enjoy a slice of his interpretation of the Chadds Ford area where we have lived for the last 19 years. Our condolences go out to his family and thanks to them for sharing him with the rest of the world. His paintings speak to you when you let them and his legacy will live on forever – we are so glad to have some of his works in our home and will treasure them even more now. He will be missed – but never forgotten.
Rest in Peace. The Vecchio Family – Carmen, Nancy, Angela nd Nicholas
January 19, 2009 at 3:51 pm
I have had the privilege to grow up and live near the Brandywine River Museum and so was exposed to Mr. Wyeth’s work from my earliest childhood. 40+ years later- Mr. Wyeth’s work deeply resonates with me still. My condolences to the Wyeth family- Mr. Wyeth you have said that you have expressed all you wanted to say through your art. Your work has struck a profound chord within the hearts and minds of many, and I thank you for it. What better legacy for an artist? Dr. Syn hangs proudly in my home- it never fails to make me pause and take notice every time my eye passes it…
January 19, 2009 at 3:57 pm
(I also posted a comment under More Remembrances.)
I wanted to add a comment about Andrew Wyeth’s Style:
So much of the Art world is like a herd of sheep. Critics are like the shepherd dogs nipping at the heels of all the sheep, keeping them all in line, the herd bunched conveniently together, easily categorized, defined, predictable. Then there is Andrew Wyeth, a maverick in every sense of the word. Who set out in his own direction, ignoring the prevailing winds, painting what mattered to himself, and ignoring the Art movements the critics would have us all believe was an Artist’s only choice. He correctly saw that true Art was outside of trends; Art is not a fashion.
Of course this infuriated the critics whose power was threatened by this maverick. Who needs their pompous opinions if it turned out that the true Artists work outside of their influence? Fortunately, AW was a tough individualist who continued to defy the critics, in spite of their rhetoric. If the critics could not control Mr. Wyeth, well they would try to control the people who look at and buy Art. And to some extent, they did continue to steer the crowds; but not all the crowd were convinced. The Abstract Expressionists were touted as the fulfillment of the evolution in Fine Art, yet the average person looked on and said, “This is gibberish! I have no clue what it is saying. Moreover, I can not see any skill here either: did a monkey paint this?” (In some cases, yes.) I.e., the Emperor has no clothes. But they looked at Andrew Wyeth’s skillful Artwork and said, “This I can understand and appreciate.” And Wyeth’s Art became a bastion for the refuges from the Abstract Expressionist trends which seemed to say, “Ugly is Art.” But Wyeth demonstrated that there was still beauty in the Art world. His success was itself a refutation of the infuriated critics.
I recall a conversation with an Artist lady when I was still quite young, but had determined to be an Artist myself. She said, “I’m an Abstract Painter. I am currently following the Cubist School. What school of Art are you?” “I don’t believe in ‘Schools of Art,’ I believe that each Artist is an individualist, and has to find his or her own vision; we are not cattle,” I flatly declared. The conversation immediately ceased. I had taken Andrew Wyeth’s example as my lead.
And so I wish to thank Andrew Wyeth not only for his incredible Art with its Powerful Imagery and superb craftsmanship, but for daring to be himself in a world of sheep afraid to be individuals. Andy, your mentor H. D. Thoreau would be proud of you. Thank you for being my inspiration to help me find my own voice as an Artist, too.
I think all those who imitate your style have only grasped half of what you really had to say to them. Learn to draw, yes. But find your own voice, too.
I am sure that Andrew Wyeth is now enjoying a reunion with N. C. Wyeth, and will shortly continue to paint again but perhaps on a more massive scale, with a comet’s tail as a brush as Rudyard Kipling suggested:
L’ENVOI
When the earth’s last picture is painted
And the tubes are twisted and dried
When the oldest colors have faded
And the youngest critic had died
We shall rest, and faith we shall need it
Lie down for an eon or two
Till the Master of all good workmen
Shall set us to work anew.
And those that were good will be happy
They shall sit in a golden chair
And splash at a ten-league canvas
With brushes of comet’s hair
And they shall find real saints to draw from
Magdalene, Peter and Paul
They shall work for an age at a sitting
And never be tired at all.
And only the Master shall praise us
And only the Master shall blame
And no one will work for money
And no one will work for fame
But each for the joy of his working
And each in his separate star
Shall paint the things as he sees it
As the god of things as they are.
Rudyard Kipling
Thank you Andrew Wyeth, may you continue to paint and inspire forever.
Sincerely,
Keith C. Johns
January 19, 2009 at 5:35 pm
As a young artist I became aware of Andrew Wyeth on September 13, 1968 when I purchased his large book titled,”ANDREW WYETH.” I was in aw of what I saw and from that moment Mr. Wyeth became my mentor.
Many years later I got to meet the man behind this marvelous work and we talked artist to artist.
Not often does a person get to meet his mentor, but even more rare is it that the mentor
doesn’t become a disappointment. He was more then I could have expected. Not once did Andrew want to talk about himself, all he wanted to talk about was me.
Andrew painted with out his ego getting in the way of the many layers of paint. The honesty in representing raw feelings in doing a painting leaves one very vulnerable to the out side world, and he did this painting after painting.
Mr. Andrew Wyeth will be missed but his essence will live on through his work as one of the most
important artist in the history of art on our planet.
I wished I had gotten to know him better.
My heart and prayers goes out to Betsy and her family.
Ken Jackson
London, Ontario, Canada
January 19, 2009 at 6:20 pm
Thank you Mr. Wyeth, thank you for your many inspirational works of art. Thank you for being everything I’d imagined you to be as a person. I was so very fortunate to have met you in your home, “The Mill” on the 2nd day of June 2007. You were gracious and kind to me, and to have been able to shake your hand and look into your eyes and share a few words was a dream come true for me. I have been drawn into your way of seeing the world since I first saw one of your beautiful works at the age of nine all of the fine and wonderful details of the world. There is beauty in everything, we just need to slow down long enough to notice……Thank you for your legacy.
January 19, 2009 at 7:24 pm
My heart just broke on January 16th, when I heard of Andy’s passing. I have several prints of Wyeth family art, and was literally rearranging them in my home on that day. About an hour after finishing the task, I heard of Andy’s death. For some reason, God put Andy in my thoughts that day. I can just imagine Andy and N.C., up in heaven, wondering what all the fuss is about! My condolences to the entire Wyeth family. Life is full of many blessings. And Andy was a true blessing.
January 19, 2009 at 9:43 pm
To Andrew-A True American Visionary
The skill of a fine artist with the vision of a photgrapher. I think Henri Cartier Bresson would agree- you have captured the decisive moment on canvas. Even though your gone and we have never met, I will still see and feel as if you have taken me by the hand.
January 20, 2009 at 12:04 am
I am so sorry to hear of Andy’s passing. he will be truly missed. Having read all of the biographies, authorized and not, I feel like I really knew him, as a friend an fellow painter. I regret, that the so called Art Critics of his early years, considered him no more than a “good illustrator”, but then again, they viewed Norman Rockwell in the same fashion. I had the distinct pleasure of visitting the Farnsworth Museum in Rockport Maine, when they had the three Wyeths on exhibit, along with selected works of Howard Pyle. I spent the entire day there, and if not for being asked to leave so they could close, would probably have spent the evening as well. Being from the Boston area and a huge Red Sox fan, I can liken Andy’s passing, only to the time that we lost the great Ted Williams.
They were both truly “one of a kind” in their respective fields.
January 20, 2009 at 6:44 pm
I feel a tremendous sense of personal loss with the passing of Andrew Wyeth. When I was maybe 13 years old, my Aunt Betty showed me a book of Wyeth drawings that impacted my life deeply. My family was all from Wilmington, Delaware – just over the border from Chadds Ford. My Dad had been transferred to the NY Metro area but we’d visit the family over the holidays and that always meant trips to the Brandywine River Museum and the Delaware Art Museum. As I grew older my family has fallen away. Death is never convenient or planned. I look at the paintings in the Museum now as relatives and family. I feel a nice sense of warmth whenever I see them. What a great contribution to art the Wyeths have made. I love the artwork that Mr. Wyeth did and he gave us all a tremendous gift with his very presence. He will always be missed but the gift of his perspective and insight will last forever. My condolences to the Wyeth family but thank you all for changing my life. Very special indeed.
January 20, 2009 at 10:38 pm
So no more new painting surprises at the museum. I remember seeing “Knitting Needles” for the short time it hung there. I was astounded by its artistry. He was amazing, a true genius of our time.
January 21, 2009 at 8:04 pm
My discovery of Andrew Wyeth was at age 15. It was in 1981, I did a drawinglesson in Telemark, Norway and saw a book of his works my teacher Kjell Dahl had in his library -it was a forever changing experience. Mr. Wyeth s work speaks to us in a humanistic way and it will always be among my favorite inspirational source.
Thank you, Andrew, for sharing your world with the rest of us.
January 22, 2009 at 2:07 am
I don’t think Andrew Wyeth ever knew the true effect he had on so may lives. A truly generous and kind man, his soul was reflected in his art.
He will be greatly missed.
January 22, 2009 at 6:23 pm
I was introduced to Andrew Wyeth many many years ago in high school, and I fell in love with his work, little did I know that some years later I would be living in Wilmington, Delaware spending much of my free time wandering the galleries of the Brandywine River Museum captivated by not only his paintings but the same countryside he loved so much. Thank you Andrew for the wonderful gift you gave us all.
January 23, 2009 at 4:45 am
Back in the 70’s, I was in a small cafe. Mr Wyeth and some other men came into the cafe and sat in a corner booth. He drew me on a napkin and as he left the cafe, stopped at my table and laid it down.
He was a great painter and I’m sure he lived a wonderful life.
January 23, 2009 at 3:55 pm
I grew up in the 60s and 70s near the Wyeth farm on the Brandywine, and I find it fun to see all the references to ‘Andrew’ Wyeth – he was and will always be Mr. Wyeth to me. Whether tubing down the Brandywine, trying to catch the fish that was never there, or walk the ice on the river, the experience of growing up in Chadds Ford was ideal. We knew Mr. Wyeth was a great artist, but most of us came from families whose Dad worked at DuPont, Hecules or Scott Paper, so I thought it was great that he could have such a perfect farm and be able to stay there to paint. The trip to the Brandywine River Museum was always fun around Christmas, because they did such a neat job decorating, and eventually putting model trains, in and around the art. With Longwood Gardens just down the road, this was a magical place to be a kid and not realize that art museums and big gardens weren’t supposed to be ‘cool’. But they were, Mr. Wyeth was a terrific neighbor when he came back down south, and occasionally regale us – the kids hanging out on the icy river bank – with stories of faraway Maine.
Thank you , Mr. Wyeth.
January 24, 2009 at 3:01 pm
I used to play with Andy as a child in his basement and enjoyed attending parties later in life with Caroline. I also had a photo shoot with Jamie modeling farm clothes for The Saturday Evening Post – very long time ago! I am happy to have several prints of Andy’s work in my home so that I can always remember him.
January 24, 2009 at 9:17 pm
I received a call in the early morning 5:30 am on the 16th of January 2009. I wondered who can this be? My neighbor Lloyd told me Andy Wyeth just died an hour ago. I was saddened. I felt like part of Chadds Ford fell off the map. My first thoughts of this great loss went out to all of the Wyeth family and to Betsy, Jamie, Nicky and Victoria Wyeth.
You would have to have met Andy to understand what a great person he was. One day while visiting me I showed him a list of 55 artists from the 1930’s and 40’s that processed stone lithography and paintings. I could not believe Andy knew every artist on that list. Some were from New Mexico and Texas, others were from Pittsburgh and Philadelphia…yes he knew them all. One of his favorite printmakers/artists was Earl Miller.
January 25, 2009 at 3:06 am
My brother introduced me to Christina’s World when I was a young art student.
Ever since then I’ve been a great admirer of Andrew Wyeth’s work. His paintings evoked very personal feelings in me.
Thank you Andy for your remarkable life and inspiration.
Godspeed from a native Pennsylvanian.
Kathleen
January 25, 2009 at 4:39 pm
I am so saddened by this enormous loss. I had meant to convey greetings to Andy at Jimmy’s memorial. Guess the motorcycle is revving up for a naked ride on the other side.
I spent my teenaged years living across the road from the mill and will always remember the kindess shown me as a horse crazed kid. The photograph on this site is so stern and unlike the man I knew. Always smiling with a twinkle of mischief in his eyes. A great artist no doubt but I remember the man.
January 25, 2009 at 4:49 pm
My message was sent before I finished-
I pastured my horses on the island behind the mill and rode in the field on the property thanks to a kind and generous man. He even allowed my family to bury one of my old horses there.
When my sister and I would swim the horses in the Brandywine, practice jumping bareback or try galloping with a two wheeled cart he would come out and wave to us cheerfully as if wanting to join the fun. One halloween I galloped around the house in the dark knocking on the windows wearing a flowing cape covering my head like the headless horseman! Andy was delighted and almost bust a gut laughing when he found me out.
January 26, 2009 at 4:06 pm
The body of work of Andrew Wyeth speaks to all who grew up here in the Delaware Valley … he understands and pulse of the landscape as it changes. I have loved his work always. Many thanks to the wonderful Brandywine River Museum for the art they bring to us and also for the wonderful Gift Shop so that we can bring the work home to display and discuss with friends.
January 26, 2009 at 4:11 pm
I had the fortune of meeting Andrew Wyeth and his wife, Betsy, at their home in Chadds Ford when I notarized documents for them. I will never forget it. They were both very gracious. Andrew was a magical person. My Mother introduced me to his art when I was a teen and she brought me to the River Museum. Now, there’s not a room in my house without a Wyeth to admire. I Thank God for life of this Great Man and his creations left behind for generations to explore and enjoy.
January 27, 2009 at 4:58 pm
I had the fortune of meeting Andrew Wyeth and his wife, Betsy, at their home in Chadds Ford (thank you, Gail!). I will never forget it. They were both so gracious – Andrew appeared to be magical. He took the time to chat with me about one of his paintings on the wall. My Mom introduced me to his art as a teen with trips to the Brandywine River Museum. Now there’s not a room in my home without a Wyeth to admire. I’m grateful and comforted by his art. I thank God for the life of this Great Man and the art he has left behind for generations to explore and enjoy.
January 27, 2009 at 8:10 pm
I remember as a very young boy many many decades ago walking hand in hand with my grandmother at the “Battery” in New Castle, DE. As we approached a man doing something with his hands. I began asking questions as any child would do with no regard for the their surroundings. She replied “well that is Mr. Andrew Wyeth and he is an artist.” As we walked by he turned ever so slightly looked at both of us with a genuine smile apparently hearing my thousand questions. There was never a word exchanged. I was hooked for the rest of my life! There is hardly a wall in my home that does not possess a favorite piece of his reproduced artwork. May God bless you Mr. Wyeth.
January 27, 2009 at 9:56 pm
I’m fortunate to have a collection of five paintings that were done by a friend & fellow artist in Chadds Ford of a ‘Dinner Party Before the annual Halloween party at the Brandywine River Museum.
Andrew Wyeth is among the five, in his favourite Indian dress, and it is a lovely portrait of him.
When his demise was reported, I simply thought it the end of an era.
However, his work lives forever.
January 27, 2009 at 10:27 pm
I am now lost in the fog. Andrew Wyeth has has been the distant tail lights in the fog that i have followed since I started painting in high school. A trip to the Brandywine Museum over 34 years ago solidified my decision to become an artist. A few years back I was honered to speak to Mr. Wyeth and Helga at Stroad’s Mill framing gallery. Wyeth and I talked about about by favorite piece “Brades”. We shared our admiration of Albrecht Dürer (May 21, 1471 – April 6, 1528). He said he thought of Durer in every painting he compleated. Andy I will continue to think of you in every piece of art that I work on in the future. My exteme sorrow goes out to the enire Wyeth family and to his friends and to the other artist who feel the same. We as aritsts who admired his work need to channel A.W. though the art spirit. His tail lights went around the bend. Maybe after the shock I will see them again.
January 28, 2009 at 4:29 pm
A poem in rememberence of Andrew Wyeth
N.C Wyeth had children
and one would stand out
A spark in his eye and
a love of the arts, Andrew,
Andy that knew him,
set himself apart
Without any intensions
of fame or of wealth, just
the passion for painting and
painting he did, till honors from
Presidents and honors from men
Reaching the top was not on his list,
just painting and painting some more
From the start till the end
he’ll never be gone
his paintings will last
so he will live on
January 28, 2009 at 8:24 pm
After visiting the heavenly gardens at Longwood, I reminisced about the royal botanical gardens at Kew near London, UK. As we traveled toward Delaware, I caught sight of the Wyeth museum. “We must stop,” I said. There was no argument from my wife. We had one of the most magnificent visual experiences of our lives. I will never forget going up to the old house and seeing the studio frozen in time. I will miss Andrew’s possibilities, and must now be content with what he delivered–wonderful art in a lifelong pursuit of excellence.
January 29, 2009 at 5:55 pm
When I first was interested in watercolor painting, I used his basket of blueberries to inspire me to try to paint. Since that day, his work has inspired me as I have been painting since. I had the opportunity to meet him one snowy day in February walking through the museum and will never forget his kind spirit and soft spoken manner.
When you read about his life and visit his home and the homes he spent time in, you understand why he painted like he did and learned how to apply that to my own painting efforts. I learned how to improve my painting style. He said that the key was to know your subject and by spending time in Chadd’s Ford and Maine, he knew his subjects. May his paintings inspire others as they begin painting just like I was inspired 30 years ago.
January 30, 2009 at 2:22 pm
How lovely and poetic that Andy died in winter, his favorite season. I have gained so much from viewing his artwork. He was a small man, but a giant of an artist. I used to live in Chester County and visited the Brandywine River Museum very often. On vacation once I went to the Farnsworth in Maine. And now I live pretty close to Greenville, SC, where there is a nice collection of his work. I urge everyone to go experience his originals. The reproductions are equivalent to putting your nose against a bakery window versus holding a piece of warm bread in your hand–smelling it and feeling it. I would love to see the last piece of artwork Mr. Wyeth did. I wish the Brandywine River Museum would publish it on their website. Please, please. I feel tremendous sadness to know that his work is done. Deepest condolences to all the Wyeths in this sad season.
January 30, 2009 at 3:36 pm
To: Betsy, Jaime, Nicholas, Victoria, to all the family,friends, and staff of Andy’s: He will be missed so much, not only as a fantastic, marvelous artist, but, as a friend, a loving father, husband, and grandfather, and a joy to know and be with. Love and care to you all. Terry Berndt, Allentown, Pa.
January 30, 2009 at 4:17 pm
It is unbearable to me that Andrew Wyeth is not in the world anymore. There was something a little more sane about the world with such an incredibly sensitive ,talented person like Andrew Wyeth in it. There are not a lot of truly sensitive people in the world–just technology for its own sake. Wyeth once said that he could not think of anything more exciting on a cold windy day that to sit in a cornfield and listen to the dry rustle of the corn stalks. Most people never take the time to notice anything in the way of nature. The world is such a cold cruel insane place without Andrew Wyeth.
January 31, 2009 at 5:02 pm
His “empty” paintings were so full of him–and life. Now, it feels there is a piece ripped out of the fabric of the world–and it has his name on it. Of course, it happens, people die, but maybe not always–Andrew Wyeth will always live, just as in Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18,
“Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this and this gives life to thee.”
Kate Maclaren Johnson
January 31, 2009 at 5:04 pm
I have lived in the Brandywine Valley for 8 years and I had a hope that one day I would run into Andy. I am sad that it never happened. His art made an impression on me when I was in elementary school in the early ’80s. I never knew that I might live in the same area as the man who painted the Beautiful Christina’s World and Helga paintings. It has been such a thrill just to live in the area…thinking that Andy was right down the road. I majored in art in college in Virgiia and discovering the Brandywine River Museum in 2001 was a treat. I was there on the morning of September 11th, 2001 on the bus going over to visit N.C. Wyeth’s studio when I first learned about the attacks. What a way to start things off in a new town. I remember that everywhere people would tell me of Andy sightings…at places like Borders in Delaware, Hanks place, etc. It was exciting to me one day when I drove by his home “the Mill” and thought that I saw him outside. Andy was inspiring to me and I secretly hoped that one day he would do a painting of my dog. I never ran into to Andy…but wished that I would have. Just to say hi and thankd for the beautiful paintings…to inspire us all. So sorry to his family for the loss…Blessings.
February 1, 2009 at 1:49 am
I want to thank the Wyeth family, and everyone involved in the beautiful tribute today at the Brandywine River Museum, for giving the public a chance to say goodbye to our beloved Andrew. It was an honor and priviledge to see Christina and the other new paintings, especially the last one he painted. It was so moving. I am not a scholar or a student of art, just someone who was deeply touched by and drawn to Andrew’s paintings. Like many of us feel, he was “my” artist. He became a part of my heart and soul over the years and I loved introducing him to my children through the Brandywine and books and the prints throughout my house. They will be cherished so much more now. He was one of a kind and his family must be so very proud of everything he was and did. Please accept my deepest sympathy for your loss and my gratitude for everything the world gained.
February 1, 2009 at 2:48 am
To: The Wyeth Family, Friends and Staff at Brandywine River Museum
Thank you for providing such a lovely program today to celebrate the life and achievements of such an outstanding artist. Being face to face with the original Christina’s World was mesmerizing, and to see his final painting “Goodbye” … well, words cannot express the level of emotion I felt as the tears fell from my eyes. Thank you again for sharing the world as seen through his eyes!
February 2, 2009 at 2:45 pm
I had the fortune to meet Mr. Wyeth while employed at Baldwin’s Book Barn in West Chester many years ago. He would stop by when in the area to chat and deliver some of Mrs. Wyeth’s homemade jam, which was as memorable as the conversations…Godspeed, Mr. Wyeth.
February 6, 2009 at 6:06 pm
I am so lucky to live only an hour away from Chadds Ford and have visited the Brandywine Museum. Like others have mentioned…it is indeed the end of an era. I can’t imagine not seeing Andrew “wandering” the hills around his beloved Chadds Ford home.. We all know his spirit will roam those hills until the end of time. He moved us in such a special way and had the most extrordinary imagination…like looking through the eyes of a child…and that never left him until his last breath. He was and is loved… Thank God we have his work to view and enjoy forever… I can only aspire to enjoy every movement of live as he did. Imagine…of all the places he could live and travel…which he did…he always came back to Chadds Ford…My heart is heavy…
February 7, 2009 at 4:02 am
To all the Wyeth family,
I have been an ardent admirer of Andrew Wyeth since my teen years. I am always moved by his paintings. It is the love of his subject that comes through. I have felt the same in viewing N.C.’s and Jamie’s work.
They all have painted the personal subject which has resonance for all mankind. And, they all have done so with an individual style and voice that is unique.
The Wyeths are an inspiration to all those who paint and those who appreciate art. Words fail to express the admiration I feel for
Andrew Wyeth. He was the great living artist when I was young, and he continues to inspire me today. It is heartening to know that he painted his most powerful works in his eighties. I will miss him.
February 7, 2009 at 10:22 pm
Dear Andy: I’ve been drawn to your work since I was a child. Maybe it’s that sense of expectation in all your work – the idea that something’s just about to happen, or has indeed just happened. There’s that rustling in the background, the sound of hurried footsteps. Whatever it is, I’ve followed your work now for several decades. Had the chance to go up to Cushing and was enthralled at Olsons’. Took a boat one day out to Monhegan to see Jamie’s island. I’ve caught several great exhibits over the years in Houston, Atlanta, Chicago and Kansas City. It’s a joy to take in your work and ponder what’s going on in your paintings and temperas. Some day I’ll get up to Chadds Ford. My best to your family.
February 11, 2009 at 9:19 pm
Posted at the Philadelphia City Paper On line:
web page :
http://www.citypaper.net/blogs/clog/2009/01/16/in-memoriam-andrew-wyeth-painter-of-the-people-1917-2009/
In Memoriam: Andrew Wyeth, “painter of the people,” 1917-2009
Friday, January 16th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
posted by carolyn huckabay
categories Arts, Goodbye, In Memoriam
It’s a sad day in the art world, folks: Andrew Wyeth, brilliant American realist painter and son of illustrator/artist N.C. Wyeth, died at his Chadds Ford home early this morning. He was 91.
The Brandywine River Museum, which houses the largest collection of Wyeth family artwork, released a statement of remembrance:
Andrew Wyeth, often referred to as America’s most famous artist, died in his sleep at his home in Chadds Ford, surrounded by his family early this morning, after a brief illness. Wyeth, 91, was painting until recently, with some new works exhibited at the Brandywine River Museum in 2008.
Wyeth ignored the preferences of the art establishment during the heyday of abstract expressionism but nonetheless won international acclaim with exhibitions throughout the world, received many awards, and inspired countless imitators. His work brought some of the highest prices for a living American artist. His painting Christina’s World (1948) is one of the best-known images of the 20th century.
“The world has lost one of the greatest artists of all time,” said George A. Weymouth, a close friend and chairman of the board of the Brandywine Conservancy.
To me, Wyeth’s work evokes a palpable sense of nostalgia for simpler, more straightforward American life. When’s the last time any of us shut off our RSS feeds, left the city, took a long drive down a winding road, sat and stared at snow falling on farmland? Perhaps now’s the perfect time to daytrip out to Chadds Ford and remember what that’s like.
Here I posted my comments that I left here at this webpage, and it was brought to my attention today that this was posted the same day ( How odd is the world that we live in…. ):
Claude-
I went to a small local auction this evening and saw a beautiful watercolor that looked like something Wyeth would do. The auctioneer trying to be funny and not knowing that Wyeth had died today said ” We have a print here that sure does look like a Wyeth. If this was a real watercolor it would be worth a lot of money” Long story short… I came home with a real watercolor by Claude W. Bernardin.
A lot of people in that room thought it was done too well to be real… it had to be a print. On the day Andy Wyeth died your talent shined. I will cherish my new treasure. I always dreamt of owning a Wyeth.
It’s close enough. I thank you.
Frank Padlo Monroeville NJ
February 12, 2009 at 8:44 pm
Hi Betsy, You’ve been on my mind-more so than Andrew, Andrew is home now-with his friends and loved ones, I always think of these times-in the sense of the loved ones left behind……My beloved Father was an Artist too-he died when I was 21,My world fell apart, He gave me a book once called the Art of Andrew Wyeth-My world changed- I made a few visits to Chaddsford, I talked to you once-very briefly, feeling very very brave, And you answered my call, I remember so well, so kind and understanding came your reply, “he is not here, you gave up your world & embarked on this merry-go-round, you gave your Life Betsy-NO regrets- No Worries, My thoughts are with you……As my beloved Father would say, ‘Behind every good man is a good woman- You were and still are that Good Woman,…..Thank You Betsy, for giving the World, the Art of Andrew Wyeth……You are the unsung hero behind the Story-My Prayers are for You……Senan.x Your Irish Fan.