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Andrew Wyeth dies at 91
Andrew Wyeth died early today.
He certainly had an outstanding career and left behind an extraordinary cache of work. In my opinion he was THE avant-garde artist of the 20th Century, bucking the far more accepted and popular trends of conceptual and abstract work, and in the meantime, became the most well known artist in America.
I remember going to the Museum of Modern Art in the 1980s when they had just opened their newly expanded galleries. There was one massive gallery after another each with few huge abstracts occasionally dotting the walls, and at most, one or two people musing their worth in each gallery.
In a much smaller gallery, dedicated to regional American realism, hung Wyeth's "Christina's World" surrounded by a horde of people squished together scrutinizing and discussing the painting. I remember thinking then that despite all the best efforts of the Art establishment, realism would never die.
However, my most significant experience with Wyeth came several years earlier, in the late 1970s. There was a retrospective of his work at the Met. At that time I had never felt the confidence to try painting, based on the horrible lack of training I had in art school, but I certainly longed to. I can't say that the seeing of his paintings inspired me to paint, because I had been inspired for years. But what it did for me was clue me in on the fact: the main difference between the two of us, talent aside ;-), was his willingness to sit there and work at it until he was satisfied and unlike me (who was waiting for the heavenly ray of inspiration to shine down and bestow true knowledge) he took responsibility and did the work. In that sense he was my greatest teacher, because the next day I went out and bought paint and thus began my journey.
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