|Chadds Ford Arts| New book explores art of Andrew and N.C. Wyeth and Howard Pyle, with tours and interviews By Ken Mammarella Contributing Writer
O
ne subject of “Artists of Wyeth Country,” W. Barksdale Maynard’s new book, is Andrew Wyeth. “He is the most famous artist our area has ever produced – or will produce,” the Greenville resident said in an interview, and that alone makes him worthy of study. The other men in the book’s subtitle place Wyeth in context: N.C. Wyeth, his father; and Howard Pyle, N.C.’s teacher and patriarch of the Brandywine Tradition of illustration. “Superb draftsmanship, sumptuous handling of oil paint, gripping storylines, and every detail rooted in extremely close visual observation – if not exhaustive historical research,” Maynard explains in the preface. “Biographers have long depicted Andrew Wyeth as a lone-wolf, Tom Sawyer figure, but he has to be seen as part of a larger whole in context with the wealthy and influential du Pont family and in American art,” he said. Continued on Page 10
All photos courtesy of W. Barksdale Maynard
Maynard believes this is the tree in Andrew Wyeth’s “Corner of the Woods,” from 1954. 8
Chadds Ford Life | Fall/Winter 2021 | www.chestercounty.com
Wyeth, Wyeth and Pyle Andrew Wyeth’s “Groundhog Day” from 1959 was painted from this window in the Kuerner kitchen.
