I Wonder About Andrew Wyeth

Beneath My Feet: Writers on Walking Edited by Duncan Minshull contains

Richard Jefferies “The Inevitable End of Every Footpath”

The surface of mowing-grass is indeed made up of so many tints that at first glance it is confusing; and hence, perhaps, it is that hardly ever has an artist succeeded in getting the effect upon canvas. Of the million blades of grass no two are of the same shade.

Pluck a handful and spread them out side by side and this is at once evident. Nor is any single blade the same shade all the way up. There may be a faint yellow towards the root, a full green about the middle, at the tip perhaps the hot sun has scorched it, and there is a trace of brown. The older grass, which comes up earliest, is distinctly different in tint from that which has but just reached its greatest height, and in which the sap has not yet stood still.

From Nature Near London 1885

And so for day 2487
04.10.2013

This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.

One Response to I Wonder About Andrew Wyeth

  1. There are several Wyeth paintings that depict the nuances of grasses. The one I have in mind is Christina’s World (1948) — tempura on panel. It is in the collection of the Modern Museum of Art.

    https://www.moma.org/collection/works/78455

    From the gallery label:

    He recorded the arid landscape, rural house, and shacks with great detail, painting minute blades of grass, individual strands of hair, and nuances of light and shadow. In this style of painting, known as magic realism, everyday scenes are imbued with poetic mystery.

Comments are closed.