Several weeks ago we went to a presentation by Victoria Wyeth at the Main Line Night School. Victoria is the granddaughter of Andrew Wyeth. She speaks regularly about her family, great grandfather N.C, grandfather Andrew, grandmother Betsy, and Uncle Jamie Wyeth. Her regular speaking venue is the Brandywine River Museum where she gives monthly talks (check online). She is not a painter although was a serious photographer. I found it interesting that she went to the Maine Photographic Workshops in the 1990s. (I got serious about photography in the 70s after attending the Photographic Workshops).
Her talks can be different. This one followed the family chronologically. I was familiar with some basic facts but Victoria adds a delightful, if quirky, personal touch. Many of her stories are from personal contact, even interviews. She also documented family members through her photography. In this talk, she started with great grandfather N.C. Wyeth, describing his relationship with his teacher-mentor Howard Pyle, his family and teaching, and his moves to Chadds Ford and Port Clyde Maine. Places stamped today as Wyeth country. N.C. was an illustrator. His illustrations for a Scribner edition of ”Treasure Island,” lead to early fame. He would go on to illustrate many other Scribner children’s books. We own several and I was always drawn to the paintings.
After the talk I read ”N. C. Wyeth: new perspectives,” a catalog of a show at the Brandywine we attended several years ago when I bought it. It’s been a coffee table book that I never read. Like Victoria, the authors describe N.C.’s ambition to be known as an artist-painter. Illustrators were not considered artists. This pushed N.C. to paint a lot of non illustrations. He is still probable most well known for his book illustrations. He also did some advertisements. N.C. traveled West and brought home ”things” to have in his studio, props and costumes to use in his western paintings. Dramatic and delightful. All tell a story.
Victoria next talked about grandfather Andy who at a young age studied under his father N.C. and became the most famous Wyeth painter. I guess I first discovered Andrew at a trip to the Brandywine in the early 70s. We would go annually for many years. Truth be told, in the beginning, I preferred the pirates, cowboys, Indians and soldiers in N. C.s work. But as I read more I came to really like Andrew’s local Chadds Ford and Maine work. Always personal, sometimes brooding, enigmatic, symbolic, life and death. On one trip to Chadds Ford we visited the Kuerner Farm (locals where Andrew hung out and painted), the Wyeth house and studio. More recently we visited the Olson Farm in Cushing Maine (the most famous Wyeth painting on the property is “Christina’s World.”) The day was foggy with rain, the house closed but we wandered the property including the family cemetery where Christina and Andrew are buried. Somehow it seemed so appropriate.
Victoria described Andy’s independence, didn’t give a dam about unfavorable art critic reviews. He painted for himself. Victoria responded to a question about Helga, a model Andy painted hundreds of times, in secret, some nudes. There is a book I’ve read, “Andrew Wyeth, a secret life,” about his relationship with Helga. Betsy, his wife, a strong, devoted caretaker of the Wyeth legend and property was kept in the dark. But Betsy controlled a lot, I was amazed that even today Victoria must get limited permission to use slides on Andrew’s work in her presentations. Grandmother Betsy wanted it that way. In contrast Uncle Jamie was a freer spirit. I find some of his paintings more enigmatic than Andrew’s.
We love Maine. Our friends David and Judy Sears live in Cushing, near Rockland, and have a home on Mantincus Island. Wyeths had connections to Cushing, Port Clyde, Monhegan and several smaller islands off Rockland. There are other artists associated with coastal Maine. Rockwell Kent, George Bellows, Edward Redfield (Bucks County impressionist), and Winslow Homer. Bo Bartlett, who had an exhibit at PAFA when Jenny was married, has a house on Mantinicus.
For the past year I’ve read a political news “ Letter” by Heather Cox Richardson, a Maine resident and historian at Boston College. Occasionally on Sunday rather than writing, she posts a photograph usually by Maine photographer Peter Ralston from Rockport (home of Maine Photographic Workshops and minutes from Rockland and Cushing). Not much of a surprise but Ralston was/is friends with the Wyeth clan. He’s taken many photographs of them. Check out his website: https://www.ralstongallery.com/
I couldn’t resist and ordered a print:
The story behind Clearing
“In 1980, Betsy Wyeth bought Allen Island, off Port Clyde, and asked me to help her figure out what to do with it. One of the first priorities was clearing the northern end of the island, knowing that once cleared, the challenge would be keeping the land open. There was one answer to that need, one with great historical precedent, and that was sheep.
We struck a deal to purchase sixteen sheep from the long established flock on an island nine miles away, and made arrangements with two Port Clyde fishermen to help us get the sheep to Allen Island.
All went well until we got to the other island at which point the skipper resolutely declared, “There’s not a single one of those goddamn things getting on this boat today.” We had no choice but to borrow a dory into which we loaded the sheep.
Towing the laden dory behind SUSAN L, we set a course for Tenants Harbor where two sheep were dropped off on Southern Island. In the course of that particular operation, I decided I would borrow Betsy’s Aquasport from which I could make photographs of SUSAN L towing the dory… a good idea, it turns out, on my part.
On the run to Allen Island, we ran into a fog bank off Mosquito Head and all of a sudden the light went silvery…magical. From the center console of the chase boat I quickly made several photographs as we were sliding into the cat’s paw of fog, Clearing being my hands-down favorite.
No sheep were lost that day, lasting friendships were made, the meadows of Allen Island were on their way, and I made a couple of photographs that would engage people around the world.”
I called my friend, former teacher, now painter, David Sears, who lives in Cushing. We talked: Wyeths, Victoria, N.C. Andrew, Betsy, Jamie, Chadds Ford, Cushing ME, the Olsons, Monhegan, Mantinicus, painters, photographer Peter Ralston, Maine Photographic Workshop. I always enjoy how one thing is connected to another.
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