Andrew Wyeth

“Artists today think of everything they do as a work of art. It is important to forget about what you are doing - then a work of art may happen”

(1917-2009): Andrew Wyeth was born in Pennsylvania in 1917 to Newell Converse Wyeth (N.C. Wyeth). He was the youngest of five, all of whom are artists. When he was young, Andrew was a rather sickly child and was homeschooled by his parents for his education, with his parents acting as his teacher. Wyeth had dismay for his home schooling, calling out his father on whom he commented on as “keeping in his own word” and “almost in prison”.

Since his father was an artist, Andrew’s training in the arts started when he was young. The youngest Wyeth was a draftsman before he could read. Newell took the young Andrew to his studio where he was greatly influenced his son’s love for landscapes. It wasn’t Andrew’s passion to produce any illustrations, but he still produced illustrations with his father.

Andrew had his first one-man exhibition at New York City. In this show, his entire inventory was sold out; Wyeth then had a realization that being involved in the arts was his calling. Through the years, Wyeth gain recognition through his work and developed his style as an artist. He eventually created his well-known artworks of Christina Olson (also known as Christina’s World) and Helga Testorf (model of The Helga Pictures).

In his career, Wyeth has received numerous awards and honors, such as the Congressional Medal Award and the National Medal Award of the Arts. He also has received an honor in Britain’s Royal Academy. Wyeth has also been elected to the Academie des Beaux Arts in France. He also has influenced many artists and who garnered respect for him like Charles Schultz, creator of the “Peanuts” fame.