The Bottom Line
Don't read this biography of Andrew Wyeth unless you're prepared to never see his paintings in the same way again. It'll ruin any romantic illusions you might have of the stories behind the paintings, and the artist who created them. If, however, you're interested in the factors shaping and influencing Wyeth, his artistic mind and creative force, you'll enjoy it.
Pros
- Black-and-white photos of Wyeth and his artwork and color plates of paintings interspersed in text.
- Author's research was done over 30 years, including visits and conversations with Wyeth.
- Numerous quotes from interviews with Wyeth, letters he wrote, etc.
- Painters will enjoy gleaning the information on Wyeth's technique, approach, and artistic intentions
Cons
- Written in 1996 so doesn't cover Wyeth's last 20 years.
- No general index nor list of illustrations, though there is an index of titles of artworks.
Description
- Available as both hardback (ISBN 9780060171131) and paperback (9780060929213). 416 and 464 pages respectively.
- Written by Richard Meryman, who first met Wyeth in 1964 when writing a feature for Life magazine.
- Color plates and black-and-white reproductions of paintings plus black-and-white photos of Wyeth throughout the text.
- Informative captions on photos and paintings.
Guide Review - Andrew Wyeth Biography by Richard Meryman
Andrew Wyeth (1917--2009) was an American painter who worked with egg tempera and watercolor. He defied artistic trends and stuck to realism. His moody subjects and detailed style earned him a niche spot in American art, popular with the public but dismissed by many in the art establishment. Richard Meryman used his long-term connection with Wyeth to write a very readable biography, one that doesn't require you to know anything about Wyeth nor styles of art nor to be familiar with art jargon. It's a book about Wyeth's life, the people in it, the influences on his art, what compelled him to paint what he did.
You'll find answers to expected questions such as who was the Christina in Christina's World, which is probably Wyeth's most famous painting. You'll realize the importance of Wyeth's supportive wife of many decades, and the lasting impact of his famous artist father. You'll never look at his paintings in the same innocent way again. You may decide he was a man you wouldn't have liked had you met him.
But, more importantly for painters, you'll learn lots about how he painted, the practical and inspiration aspects, the motivation and intention. For instance: "I work with impulsiveness. I use eleven kinds of brushes, camel's hair or sable or an old house painter's brush. ... [but] a painting is undigested if you leave it in the state of just chaos. I like that first wild impulse to be there underneath, but pulled back into clarity."(page 403-4)
Wyeth is erudite in talking about his painting and emotions surrounding his work and relationships. It's a book to be read with a pencil to hand as, without an index, you won't otherwise find things again. I enjoyed reading this biography for the insight into Wyeth the famous painter and Wyeth the artist at work alone in his studio.
