Jamie Wyeth: on art and island

Posted by Emily Myers on October 9, 2013

“There is a weirdness of the island, no electricity and primeval sunsets,” Wyeth told the audience at a sold out event at the Brandywine River Museum on Oct. 4.

The event was part of the “Jamie Wyeth, Rockwell Kent and Monhegan” exhibit that opened June 15. Museum Executive Director Thomas Padon moderated a dialog with exhibit curator Amanda C. Burdan and Jamie Wyeth about his work.

Wyeth described his work as a solitary endeavor. He contrasts his life to that of his grandfather, N.C. Wyeth. The elder Wyeth was known to entertain with grand dinner parties with such famous people as Douglas Fairbanks Jr., and Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald.

Wyeth’s father Andrew led a quieter life more similar to his own. The contrast between the two artists is seen when visiting their two studios. N.C. Wyeth’s studio is big and bold with lots of props. Andrew Wyeth’s studio is understated with relatively plain walls.

Wyeth remembers painting in the next room to his father while the record player was blaring. The player was on his side so Andrew would come in to change records.

Now that both studios are open to the public, Wyeth was asked how he feels visiting them. Visiting Andrew Wyeth’s studio brings with it lots of emotion because that is where he grew up. Wyeth is glad for the public to have an opportunity to see the space with the hope that it might light a spark for a future artist.

Wyeth likes to paint from live subjects not from photographs. Portraiture presents a challenge to his desire to work alone. He made some sculptures of his subjects to help him extend the work beyond actual sittings. Some of these sculptures, including one of Andy Warhol, will be in the upcoming retrospective exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.

Wyeth traced “going his own way” back to his home schooling that began around aged 12. Often alone, he roamed the farm and fields. When asked if he liked to travel, “I hate it. I want to paint trees that I know or that person’s nostril.”

Wyeth described his father’s paintings of Keurner’s Farm as a having a deep and mysterious quality. That depth came from “having walked those hills thousands of times. Legions of copyists miss that.”

Was Andrew Wyeth a good teacher? “Yes, by example.” We worked all day.

Was Carolyn Wyeth a good teacher? She was “flamboyant, visceral, down to earth.” Wyeth chose oil as his preferred medium because of seeing his aunt squeeze the tube of paint with gusto.

Unlike many artists who paint near the sea, many of Wyeth’s paintings in the current exhibit are with the artist’s back to the sea. Wyeth sees the houses as the embodiment of the people who build their lives on the rock of Monhegan.

In Wyeth’s paintings from his dreams, the artist does face the sea. He said the dreams came after his father’s death.

Burdan will be giving a talk entitled “Jamie Wyeth: Back to the Sea” about Wyeth’s choice of subjects on Nov. 13 at 2 p.m. at the museum. The museum is also showing a documentary film about Rockwell Kent on Oct. 12 at 1 p.m.

Although Wyeth and Kent never met, they share Monhegan Island Maine as inspiration for many of their works. On a personal connection, Wyeth lives and works the house that Kent built on the island during the months he spends in Maine.

A retrospective of Jamie Wyeth’s work has been in preparation for the last four years. The exhibit will open at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston in 2014 and in Chadds Ford January of 2015.

When asked if he could think of another family dynasty in the arts, Wyeth suggested Flying Wallendas. The evening offered several occasions to chuckle while offering an inside view into the creativity of the Wyeth family

About Emily Myers

Emily Myers has lived and worked in Chadds Ford for over thirty five years. She founded the parent company of Chadds Ford Live, Decision Design Research, Inc., in 1982. ChaddsFordLive.com represents the confluence of Myers' long time, deep involvement in technology and community. Myers was a founding member of the Chadds Ford Business Association and currently serves on its board of directors. Her hobbies include bridge, golf, photography and Tai Chi. She lives with her husband, Jim Lebedda, in Chadds Ford Township.