Art Appetizer: “Christina’s World” by Andrew Wyeth

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Andrew Wyeth, “Christina’s World” (1948). Tempera on gessoed panel.

Here’s your weeks worth of art history: Christina’s World. I’ve actually never seen this piece before so this post is a learning experience for me.

However, Andrew Wyeth was a modern painter who passed away in 2009.  This is a very moving piece and if you read the 1-2-3, you’ll see why.

Here’s the 1-2-3 on “Christina’s World” by Andrew Wyeth:

  1. The woman depicted in this piece, Anna Christina Olson, is Wyeth’s friend who was crippled by polio. She had a wheelchair but was known to crawl her way around her house and grounds. It’s an empathetic portrayal of his friend who is dragging herself to a house in the distance.
  2. Wyeth often used his own pigments and combined them with earthly materials to create a true color scheme. In addition, his use of recording, with great detail, the blades of grass, individual strands of hair, and nuances of light and shadow show his style called magic realism. In this style, “everyday scenes are imbued with poetic mystery” (MOMA). I think you can see this in “Christina’s World.”
  3. Although the painting portrays Christina, the head and torso represent Betsy Wyeth (his wife) who was about 30 years younger than Christina (About).

3 responses to “Art Appetizer: “Christina’s World” by Andrew Wyeth”

  1. I just visited the Olson House where Andrew Wyeth painted this image. Just a minor quibble… Christina Olson is the name, not Olsen.

  2. I saw this picture in my art-teacher’s book and i was impressed. I love big meadows where I can feel like i’m knooking on the heaven’s door ❤ It's wonderful…

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