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Autobiography
A dazzling book that looks back at six decaders of paintings by one of America's favorite artists. What makes the book truly extraordinary are Wyeth's comments about each painting - an "autobiography" told through conversations with Thomas Hoving, the former Director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art - which offer fascinating and sometimes unexpected facts about Wyeth's life and art.
168 pages, Hardcover
First published September 15, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
February 20, 2021
This book consists of well over one hundred reproductions of the works of the American artist Andrew Wyeth with more or less off the cuff remarks on them by the artist. He gives us the inspiration, the background and sometimes the length of time to make the painting (a few he would begin and then put aside to come back to months later). Mostly his comments are of the subject matter.
Andrew Wyeth was a unique American artist. While his peers were experimenting with abstract or pop and other trends, he maintained his own distinct realism. It was about the two worlds he inhabited – Chadds Ford in Pennsylvania and the coast of Maine.
Some of these paintings are bleak and austere – many are of scenes in winter, late autumn, or early spring. There are wonderful details that give Wyeth his singularity. He knew and lived his environment – the clapboard houses, the old interiors, the leaves, trees and grass and the people. Wyeth gives us the moment in time of the landscape or the portraiture – the light and the shadows. There is also an intensity. There is a living personality whether it be a person, part of a house, or an old boat. The subject matter is imbued with feeling.
Weatherside 1965 tempera on panel
Here are some of Wyeth's comments: (page 67)
I wanted "Weatherside" to be a true portrait of the house. - not a picturesque portrait... I knew this house couldn't last... I had this feeling that it wouldn't be long before this fragile, crackling dry, bony house disappeared. I'm very conscious of the ephemeral nature of the world. There are cycles. Things pass. They do not hold still.
Overflow 1978 drybrush
Pentecost, 1989 tempera on panel
Alvaro and Christina, 1968, watercolor
Page 78 comments by Andrew Wyeth
I conceived this as a portrait of the whole Olson environment, and I painted it the summer after Christina and her brother, Alvaro, had both died. I went in there, and suddenly the contents of the room seemed to express those two people - the basket, the buckets, and the beautiful blue door with all the bizarre scratches on it that the dog had made. The Olsons were all gone but powerfully there nonetheless.
Andrew Wyeth was a unique American artist. While his peers were experimenting with abstract or pop and other trends, he maintained his own distinct realism. It was about the two worlds he inhabited – Chadds Ford in Pennsylvania and the coast of Maine.
Some of these paintings are bleak and austere – many are of scenes in winter, late autumn, or early spring. There are wonderful details that give Wyeth his singularity. He knew and lived his environment – the clapboard houses, the old interiors, the leaves, trees and grass and the people. Wyeth gives us the moment in time of the landscape or the portraiture – the light and the shadows. There is also an intensity. There is a living personality whether it be a person, part of a house, or an old boat. The subject matter is imbued with feeling.
Weatherside 1965 tempera on panel
Here are some of Wyeth's comments: (page 67)
I wanted "Weatherside" to be a true portrait of the house. - not a picturesque portrait... I knew this house couldn't last... I had this feeling that it wouldn't be long before this fragile, crackling dry, bony house disappeared. I'm very conscious of the ephemeral nature of the world. There are cycles. Things pass. They do not hold still.
Overflow 1978 drybrush
Pentecost, 1989 tempera on panel
Alvaro and Christina, 1968, watercolor
Page 78 comments by Andrew Wyeth
I conceived this as a portrait of the whole Olson environment, and I painted it the summer after Christina and her brother, Alvaro, had both died. I went in there, and suddenly the contents of the room seemed to express those two people - the basket, the buckets, and the beautiful blue door with all the bizarre scratches on it that the dog had made. The Olsons were all gone but powerfully there nonetheless.
January 8, 2021
Why did I let this book languish on the shelf for several years before actually reading it? It's not an autobiography in the traditional sense, but I finished it feeling as if I'd actually met Wyeth. He describes his inspiration, thoughts, and techniques, as well as setting and season for a good many of his paintings. The paintings are arranged chronologically. There is minimal reference to schooling and family life, or to any other info that one usually expects to find in an autobiography. Wyeth uses his art to reveal the workings of his mind, which is appropriate.
Wyeth comes across as judgmental, self-centered, callous, temperamental ... not someone who would be described as kind, generous, compassionate, or exuberant. (my interpretation)
I gave myself the task of picking three paintings that I would want to hang in my home (others may be "better" but I wouldn't want to live with them). I eliminated several because they were too grim or too dark. My choices:
1975 Loden Coat (p 104)
This is Helga. ... When I saw her walking down that entrance road, I thought of all her German qualities ...
I like the balance of light and dark, the use of color, and feeling that I could step into the painting and walk along with Helga.
1979 Open House (p 117)
This tempera is of a house on a back road in Maine where horses were rented out to ride. ...
An intriguing house where horses can wander freely. Not a usual scene.
1989 Pentecost (p 143)
I think it is beautiful, and I can't always say that about my paintings. I felt the spirit of something when I did it, ...
Light and airy with a vast expanse of open space and a glimpse of ocean.
Wyeth comes across as judgmental, self-centered, callous, temperamental ... not someone who would be described as kind, generous, compassionate, or exuberant. (my interpretation)
I gave myself the task of picking three paintings that I would want to hang in my home (others may be "better" but I wouldn't want to live with them). I eliminated several because they were too grim or too dark. My choices:
1975 Loden Coat (p 104)
This is Helga. ... When I saw her walking down that entrance road, I thought of all her German qualities ...
I like the balance of light and dark, the use of color, and feeling that I could step into the painting and walk along with Helga.
1979 Open House (p 117)
This tempera is of a house on a back road in Maine where horses were rented out to ride. ...
An intriguing house where horses can wander freely. Not a usual scene.
1989 Pentecost (p 143)
I think it is beautiful, and I can't always say that about my paintings. I felt the spirit of something when I did it, ...
Light and airy with a vast expanse of open space and a glimpse of ocean.
February 13, 2025
Magnificence. Instead of getting a wordy autobiography, Wyeth gives us his paintings and provides the reasoning and associated memories with each work of art. Now, that's a true biography. Thus we see the artist as the artist, not as a biographer wants to be seen.
Wyeth was a Regional Realist and very East Coast American, which also comes across in his descriptions. The reader can look at The Cider Barrel, for instance, and discover that good cider needs to be kept filled to the brim. If that information wasn't there, the picture would still stand, but now you view it in a completely different way.
He also brings out his technique, such as not being as neat as his father, N.C. Wyeth, was with his illustrations. His father's death deeply affected Andrew, as seen in Weatherside. The Olson house is falling apart, but instead of cleaning the artwork, Wyeth remains real, because his father's tragic death reminded him that all things pass and nothing holds still forever. Same with Marsh Hawk, a tempura showing old wagon trains that were later destroyed in a flood. Nothing lasts.
Wyeth can also be humorous, and this is where his descriptions are so apt. Storm At Sea was painted with most of the lighthouse purposely cut off, which irritated a passing tourist who remarked, "You can see he's an amateur by how he's cut off the top of the lighthouse." Everyone is a critic!
"You're in the lap of the gods-almost like painting with your eyes half-closed. Sometimes I don't want to see too clearly."
This entire book is a treasure, not just for the incredible art but for the honesty and the intimacy that Wyeth provides us. I now want to travel to Maine and Chadds Ford, PA to see the countryside and the people of Andrew Wyeth's world.
Book Season = Winter (snow, dry, colorless)
Wyeth was a Regional Realist and very East Coast American, which also comes across in his descriptions. The reader can look at The Cider Barrel, for instance, and discover that good cider needs to be kept filled to the brim. If that information wasn't there, the picture would still stand, but now you view it in a completely different way.
He also brings out his technique, such as not being as neat as his father, N.C. Wyeth, was with his illustrations. His father's death deeply affected Andrew, as seen in Weatherside. The Olson house is falling apart, but instead of cleaning the artwork, Wyeth remains real, because his father's tragic death reminded him that all things pass and nothing holds still forever. Same with Marsh Hawk, a tempura showing old wagon trains that were later destroyed in a flood. Nothing lasts.
Wyeth can also be humorous, and this is where his descriptions are so apt. Storm At Sea was painted with most of the lighthouse purposely cut off, which irritated a passing tourist who remarked, "You can see he's an amateur by how he's cut off the top of the lighthouse." Everyone is a critic!
"You're in the lap of the gods-almost like painting with your eyes half-closed. Sometimes I don't want to see too clearly."
This entire book is a treasure, not just for the incredible art but for the honesty and the intimacy that Wyeth provides us. I now want to travel to Maine and Chadds Ford, PA to see the countryside and the people of Andrew Wyeth's world.
Book Season = Winter (snow, dry, colorless)
September 10, 2011
Yes, Andrew Wyeth is one of my favorite artists. And this book is stunning. Making it all the more fascinating are his personal notes accompanying each sketch and painting, outlining the history of the composition or model.
Could I afford it, I'd have his work hanging all about my house.
Could I afford it, I'd have his work hanging all about my house.
February 19, 2018
More of Wyeth in Wyeth’s own words. In the Wanda Corn book, he said how he was tired of folks sending him pictures of barns he should paint. Wyeth insisted: that’s not what he did. If it wasn’t specific, if it wasn’t his place, it couldn’t interest him less.
Reading this book, that’s really true. He didn’t paint anything he didn’t live with for years. He points out cow tracks, the flight patterns of birds; he knows what changed with the weather that day. On “Weatherside”:
On “Snow Flurries”:
On “Road Sign”:
But really, here’s the part I keep mulling over. On “Sailor’s Valentine”:
And on “Wood Stove”:
(My current two favorites of Wyeth’s? “The Swinger” and “The Virgin.” Although that changes often. But here they’re located on two facing pages and that’s a nice touch.)
Reading this book, that’s really true. He didn’t paint anything he didn’t live with for years. He points out cow tracks, the flight patterns of birds; he knows what changed with the weather that day. On “Weatherside”:
“In the drawing I literally put the building together as if I were the builder, and I actually counted up and studied each one of those clapboards. Up on the right-hand side of the painting, near the top windows, near where the cloth is stuffed into the broken pane, there are a couple of pieces of white wood. They’re from my own house.”
On “Snow Flurries”:
“I spent almost a year on this tempera because I was fascinated by the motion of those cloud shadows on that hill near Kuerner’s farm and by what that hill meant to me. I’ve walked that hill a hundred times, a thousand times, ever since I was a small child, so it was deathless as far as I was concerned. I could probably just paint a hill for the rest of my life.”
On “Road Sign”:
“That harsh shot of yellow in that modern road sign is why I did this picture. Some people said that if I took the sign out, they’d buy the painting. Why would I do that? I love that mesmerizing sign. I’ve almost gone over that corner and crashed, and the thing that made me recall those dangerous moments. Take it out? Hell, no.”
But really, here’s the part I keep mulling over. On “Sailor’s Valentine”:
“Eventually I had to leave that island— it was too good. When I was there, I felt like I was getting out of touch with the earth. The island was too perfect for my personality. You see, I have to go against myself. Many times I find a subject to paint and say, “Marvelous!” Then I think maybe it would be even better for me to walk away from it, and I do. I think it’s interesting to reject things. Keeps me on my toes.”
And on “Wood Stove”:
“I had to overdo it here and reveal all the secrets. Some people say that artists ought to work for utter simplicity. I say to hell with that! Let’s get it all in there! I’m afraid of editing too much; it’s not natural to be simple and pure. It’s not good, either, to show too much artistic ability. You have to fight technique, not let it take over. You can’t be nice around things. Like painting a nude— there’s got to be some ugliness there. I like to paint in places that are not too nice. That’s why I like painting Helga. She’s not in love with the neatless of life or things. My father tried to clean up my paintings. Once he took out the hook that Bill Loper wore for his severed hand. That’s too neat; too nice. Can’t be.”
(My current two favorites of Wyeth’s? “The Swinger” and “The Virgin.” Although that changes often. But here they’re located on two facing pages and that’s a nice touch.)
April 24, 2017
Since reading A Piece of the World, I have become enamored with the works of Andrew Wyeth. This album of his paintings and drawings are especially interesting because they span his life and he tells the story about each piece. Sometimes they are a paragraph about how he came to do the work, his feelings about it. Sometimes they are just a sentence such as the one called "Blackberry Branch" done in 1943 where he says: "I had a helluva good time with this--a study for the tempera called "Blackberry Picker"--because as I finished each Berry I'd eat it." I learned that a friend is from Rockland, Maine where Wyeth spend much time. She said there is a gallery of his work there. Now i want to go to Maine! I would like to have heard Wyeth talk about his work. His Jamie is an artist as was his father.
April 26, 2009
I first saw the earlier version on friends desk about 10 years ago and it re-kindled my interest in Wyeth. The 'Helga' pictures of course had brought him back to a certain degree of prominence after decades of almost obscurity outside of collectors and museum goers.
My first interest in him went to seeing a variety of his works as a teenager and knowing two different families who owned Wyeth's and learning a lot about the tempura method he used. Having seen works up close and being privileged to touch them and understand the uniqueness of the technique and its toughness I had a concept of them different than just as an image on a wall. Wyeth's works reflect(ed) a portion of his temperament and personality even as they were robustly unreal.
This rather compact work provides a survey of only a portion of his work, though many of the important pieces are included and of course it doesn't really touch on his later modern work at all.
The autobiographical tag is appropriate in the works selected are for the most part one's that were included in a retrospective that illustrate facets of his career and work.
A stunning book that I have spent a lot of time with and highly recommend to any art student, connoisseur of painting, or a volume which a library of art books without would be incomplete.
My first interest in him went to seeing a variety of his works as a teenager and knowing two different families who owned Wyeth's and learning a lot about the tempura method he used. Having seen works up close and being privileged to touch them and understand the uniqueness of the technique and its toughness I had a concept of them different than just as an image on a wall. Wyeth's works reflect(ed) a portion of his temperament and personality even as they were robustly unreal.
This rather compact work provides a survey of only a portion of his work, though many of the important pieces are included and of course it doesn't really touch on his later modern work at all.
The autobiographical tag is appropriate in the works selected are for the most part one's that were included in a retrospective that illustrate facets of his career and work.
A stunning book that I have spent a lot of time with and highly recommend to any art student, connoisseur of painting, or a volume which a library of art books without would be incomplete.
June 30, 2017
For anyone who admires the work of Andrew Wyeth, I highly recommend this treasure. I found it while browsing the shelves of one of my local libraries, looking for more info about one of my favorite artists to back up another book I was reading. The book was showing signs of wear. When I found the beautiful artwork throughout its 168 pages, it felt disrespectful to allow it to get to such a state. I couldn't believe such a book was just stuck on the shelf with all the other art books, and allowed to be removed from the safety of the library! Nevertheless I took it home, spent hours poring over the wonderful collection of paintings, and repaired it as much as was possible.
This is more than just a book of artwork, nor is it an in-depth study of the artist. The art is organized in a way that allows for thoughts, comments, and anecdotes by Wyeth himself about the works that meant the most to him. This greatly enhances the meaning and pleasure for the viewer.
This is more than just a book of artwork, nor is it an in-depth study of the artist. The art is organized in a way that allows for thoughts, comments, and anecdotes by Wyeth himself about the works that meant the most to him. This greatly enhances the meaning and pleasure for the viewer.
August 24, 2019
I do love his work. I can't imagine living my whole life in two places (in his case Chadd's Ford and Port Clyde/Cushing) - I feel I'd be bored to death. The detail - and interpretation - he brings to people and places in his daily life remind to to look more deeply into my own world. I liked reading his words as well.
March 13, 2021
Lots of beautiful reproductions. Interesting comments from the artist about each painting, although he shares a little too much about the nudes.
November 8, 2011
This is one book I must purchase. Excellent artworks (variety of mediums) but most importantly is Andrew Wyeth's personal interpretations of why, where and what inspired him to create these beautiful scenes of everyday people in everyday life living off the land. I highly recommend it.
February 6, 2018
Nice, large reproductions of Wyeth's work, with information about each piece and his life. Caution: Contains several nude paintings, both male and female. Some of his comments are for adults-only as well.
June 12, 2008
It's mostly a picture book, but as I was glazing over it at Borders, I was so drawn by this one painting that I ended up spending $30 for the entire book which I did not intend to do.
September 11, 2008
If you love American realist painters you can't get any better than Andrew Wyeth. He is my favorite artist- I can lose myself looking at his work.
August 4, 2017
I read/pored over this beautiful book as a follow up to my reading of A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline. Although I have been an admirer of Wyeth's work for decades, Kline's fictional book about Andrew and Christina Olsen and the world they shared on the Maine coast made his painting and process so real to me. I was better able to understand his perspective and his persona. This is basically a book of prints with specific comments by Wyeth about each. It felt like an experience; a moving, deepening one.
February 25, 2024
I've had this book for over a decade and never actually read it until now when it fit into my reading challenge.
Wyeth is, hands down, my favorite artist. All the rustic, rural, and Pennsylvanian elements in his work remind me of the tucked away portions of my childhood. But within almost all of his pieces is a deep seeded beautiful melancholy that feels ageless.
This book was a great introspection of that while gathering some background of each painting, but nothing beats seeing the original works in person.
Wyeth is, hands down, my favorite artist. All the rustic, rural, and Pennsylvanian elements in his work remind me of the tucked away portions of my childhood. But within almost all of his pieces is a deep seeded beautiful melancholy that feels ageless.
This book was a great introspection of that while gathering some background of each painting, but nothing beats seeing the original works in person.
July 29, 2018
I requested this beautiful book from my local library after reading Christina Baker Kline's book A Piece of the World.
I can't seem to stop my obsession with Wyeth's work, Kline's fantastic fictional book, Christina Olsen herself and Wyeth's Christina Olson series of paintings.
This was a unique reading experience that brought the artwork to life via Wyeth's own memories.
I am a forever fan of American realist painters.
I can't seem to stop my obsession with Wyeth's work, Kline's fantastic fictional book, Christina Olsen herself and Wyeth's Christina Olson series of paintings.
This was a unique reading experience that brought the artwork to life via Wyeth's own memories.
I am a forever fan of American realist painters.
September 10, 2019
Indispensable for anyone who loves Wyeth's paintings.
September 23, 2020
I love his work so much.
December 31, 2022
It’s touching and always makes me want to cry to see his artwork. But it isn’t really an autobiography… it’s more of his memory/reflections or quote on the particular painting…
March 20, 2025
It’s like talking with Andrew over a cup of coffee where he shares stories about his paintings and subjects. The details and insights often personal and intimate.
December 2, 2013
Thanks to J. because without Goodreads I would not have picked this up. I traditionally avoid art and poetry, but thought this might be a good one to break with tradition. It was. The rules surrounding good and bad art confuse me. I'm always afraid of being the person who likes Thomas Kinkade and then later discovers that he's a really bad artist, according to a fair number. (I don't actually love that guy's work, by the way).
I learned more than I thought I would about the way that at least one artist works. It was really something to learn about art while learning about his life. Very well edited, I must say.
Obviously art is one's interpretation of truth, but understanding more about the relationship between spontaneity and color, technique, style, etc, and Wyeth's interpretation of truth was so interesting. It was frustrating at times to stare at one of his pictures and not be able to find some of the small details he points out, in them. At the very least, I guess I can say that I liked what I saw, and what I read. I'm glad I didn't start with an abstract artist.
I learned more than I thought I would about the way that at least one artist works. It was really something to learn about art while learning about his life. Very well edited, I must say.
Obviously art is one's interpretation of truth, but understanding more about the relationship between spontaneity and color, technique, style, etc, and Wyeth's interpretation of truth was so interesting. It was frustrating at times to stare at one of his pictures and not be able to find some of the small details he points out, in them. At the very least, I guess I can say that I liked what I saw, and what I read. I'm glad I didn't start with an abstract artist.
August 22, 2015
I'm not a fan of the countryside. To me it's a place that represents death and dying, particularly in summer, and so stay away from art that captures that idea. Wyeth is however, different. He captures for me the brooding, loneliness of the field, the corruption in the soil, the bleakness of the land, but in such a way that he makes it beautiful. To step into his world is to find a peace and a sanctuary in nature. An in depth look at this artist's works, with biographical notes that enhance each picture allowing a story to enfold, and the characters of Chadds Ford and Maine come alive.
March 30, 2007
It's not really an autobiography. It's generally just a paragraph or two written by Wyeth about each print in this "book" of selected prints across his career. This should be a good start at increasing my collection of books that are cool to "look" at. Wyeth's understated sensibility and earthy demeanor make for good narrative of the prints. I must have reached the next stage of life, because I can finally afford art books. ;)
April 15, 2012
One of my favorite artists, this book highlights the universally american images of Wyeth. Though I am a Californian and know little to nothing of the Maine landscape portrayed by Wyeth in his art, the paintings still speak to me as examples of that archetypal american Nature that all of us heirs of emerson and thoreau know and love.
June 5, 2008
Sometimes I find that what is written about art can be as beautiful as the art itself; that’s the case with this book. It’s mostly large-format color prints of Wyeth’s worth, with his reflections or recollections alongside them. Perfect rainy day reading.
February 18, 2009
What I like about this is that not only is it a solid selection of Wyeth's (potentially) lesser known works, but it also has his own 'critiques' of the works, and not some upity critic telling you what to feel or see. His blurbs are more like history lessons or technique instruction. Fascinating.
April 13, 2009
Basically a retrospective created for a particular showing, where Wyeth himself talks about the individual pieces. Interesting to gain some insight into his technique/inspirations and am just wowed by the precise detail in some of his pieces.
September 11, 2008
This little book is a great intro to Wyeth if you don't know his work. I like the quirky blurbs he offers as his autobiography, though the images speak volumes themselves.
October 23, 2010
I'm really loving this. It is full page paintings with short discussion about why and how he painted it. He has a lovely, down-to-earth voice.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews