Evening star., 1963-05-19

an early age that he would
be an artist. This back
ground accounts for the con-
summate skill with which he
renders the lay Of the land
or the lie of a leaf. Now in
his mid forties, Andrew
Wyeth has been painting
seriously for well over 80
years.
The studio background also
accounts for his psychologi-
cal ability simply to paint as
well as he can and to i'm
merse himself in the steady
perfection of that skill. For a
depressing number of Ameri-
can artists, the profession of
art is automatically a rebel
lion against the father
Oedipus refusing to enter the
family firm Of Laius & Co.
and the posture of necessary
adolescent rebellion becomes
prolonged into a whole career.
The older Wyeth asked only
Of his son that he work hard
at drawing.
A COuntryman
There's another back
ground to Andrew Wyeth be-
sides the studio, one that en-
ters into all his work and
one that links his work to
the souls Of his countrymen.
That is, that he is a country
man. He was born in the
village he has lived in ever
since, Chadds Ford, Pa. He
spends summers in the coun-
try in Maine. This again
is rare in art. A lot Of artists
live in the country, having
moved out to enjoy the air.
A lot more visit the country.
But art is basically an urban
affair and a true country
man in the profession is ex-
tremely rare. Wyeth quail
fieS.
From the fusion of these
two rare pieces Of personal
history arises the extraordi-
nary art of Andrew Wyeth,
an art that speaks immedi-
ately to people who have
largely given up on contem-
porary painting, an art that
reminds contemporaries Of
the enduring possibilities in
sky, meadow, water, old
buildings and human beings,
sources Of art vulgarly sup
posed to have been ex-
hausted by 1910.
The "dry brush" tech
nique, which accounts for
most Of the pictures in the
exhibition, is rarely used by
anyone and in Wyeth's hands
has become a highly per-
sonal approach. It stands
halfway between his familiar,
finished paintings in tenn
pera and swift water color
notes" Of nature observed.
The dry brush drawings start
as pure water colors; then
the artist returns to them, in
many cases several times, to
strengthen the structure with
water color applied from
a brush squeezed nearly dry.
These studies" Of light con-
ditions, of masonry textures.
of snow in the wind, are
quite literally studies. Almost
every work on view at the
Corcoran can be related to
one Of the artists major
pictures. many of which are
in public collections. The
show, assembled by Agnes
Mongan, curator Of draw
ings at the Fogg Museum,
Harvard, is thus a kind of
assemblage of materials from
which the better known fin
ished productions have been
made. Yet, such is the power
of the artist that the slight
est notation Of the way
things are carries with it the
other thing. the poetry" Of
the paintings.
The observation is so keen
the countryman's eye
and the technique so ha-
bitual and sure-the artists
hand-that in the merest
note on the sharpness and
blueness of mussel shells, or
on sunlight falling on
weathered clapboards. or on
May flowers thrusting
through withered leaves, any
of these things carries with
it the modest, singing poetry
of life in the country.
There is a tremendous re-
assurance available for the
asking in the Wyeth show, a
reinsurance that real things
continue to exist In the real
light Of day. the real wealth
ering Of the year. Perhaps 1t
is the quest for that reas-
surance that impels us. soon
or late, TO the country or TO
the park. TO be glad for trees
along a street or even for a
windowbox. 1t is present in
full In the work OF the eye
and hand Of Andrew Wyeth.
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