Comments | natasha_lyonne: Wyeth

natasha_lyonne

Wyeth

Aug 01, 2002 13:56

There's a painter -- is it Andrew Wyeth? I can't remember his name because I can't, in general, remember names. Watercolor isn't his medium of fame, of course. Unless you're a woman or a dullard, it's historically difficult to become famous for your watercolors, but all of the greats have used them and Wyeth's were particularly genius ( Read more... )

Comments 5

jo_sclub August 1 2002, 19:16:11 UTC

Some of that went right over my head, I have to tell you. I don't know about the colors in the top one, but I've been having fun imagining what she's doing. It has a million stories to it and that's what I usually like about paintings or photographs. It gets your imagination going. It looks like she was laying on the ground and suddenly thought about her house and looked at it. Or maybe she heard a noise. What do you think?

natasha_lyonne August 1 2002, 22:27:42 UTC

Critics still debate the painting's meaning: Is it a study in desolation, even madness, or is it simply a melodramatic illustration in a naturalistic style? Christina (Christina Olsen, the woman in the painting), crippled by polio, seems to yearn to reach the farm buildings on the horizon. Yet Wyeth undermines the intensity of her pose by his overscrupulous attention to the landscape. The grass, for instance, is unbelievable.

Wyeth claimed that he believed he almost didn't need to include Christina in the painting because viewers would sense her presence whether or not they could see her. I have no doubt that you can sense her mood. It is in every brushstroke. I sense it too.

jo_sclub August 3 2002, 12:56:49 UTC

Maybe she's feeling nostalgic about what her life was like before it was crippled by polio, or to whoever's looking at it, crippled by whatever. I definitely like how small she looks compared to the rest of the world. I know that feeling.

This is why I have you on my friends list. You're so cultured.

drew_barrymore August 1 2002, 21:13:29 UTC

Yes, it's Andrew Wyeth. I think the top painting, "Christina's World" is more well know because of the feeling of longing that emanates from the piece ( ... )

natasha_lyonne August 1 2002, 22:37:24 UTC

I believe his work to be almost magical. certain pieces just seem as if they were inevitable to have existed, like you can''t imagine a world without andy warhol's "tomato soup" or mona lisa. i don't think my impression of art would exist if i hadn't found christina's world. it's just one of those pieces that happens to stir imagination and allow you to create your own meaning behind it. some of the best movies and stories ever published had no definate answer to them ( ... )