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| Eitenne Gros image via http://www.ozartsetc.com/2012/12/04/etienne-gros/ |
Artists are fascinated by light, so it is no surprise that they love windows. Large bright north facing windows that do not cast shadows across their work. Or ceilings of skylights.
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| Georgia O'Keefe looking out the window of her Abiqui, New Mexico home. Image via http://www.architecturaldigest.com/celebrity-homes/2012/georgia-okeeffe-artist-new-mexico-ghost-ranch-article |
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| Cebolla Church by Georgia O'Keefe (detail) Image Via http://ncartmuseum.org/untitled/2009/03/the-thing-in-the-window/ |
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| John French Sloan. Image via http://www.wikiart.org/en/john-french-sloan/a-window-on-the-street-1912 |
Artists frequently pose models in front of windows or paint what they see out of windows.
Andrew Wyeth was no stranger to this tradition. In his lifetime, he first learned to paint and draw under the tutelage of his famous father, N.C.Wyeth.
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| N.C. Wyeth, Trial of the Bow |
Over Andrew's lifetime, he painted more than three hundred works that explored the themes of visual complexities posed by the transparency, symbolism, and geometric structure of windows.
During our busy May, my husband had to make a trip to Washington D.C. My husband was working, donning his armor of logic, statistics, and persuasion to fight against a diversion dam in New Mexico's Gila Wilderness. He visited Congressional offices and Department heads, helping to educate leaders about the pros and cons of this water project. I grabbed the opportunity to go with him... despite heavy obligations planning a week of art camp for 8-12 year olds from around the entire Diocese. I wanted to see the show of Andrew Wyeth's work on exhibit at the National Gallery of Art. I never expected to be stunned. But I was and spent most of a day there. Although, I will share a few images of these works here, you cannot imagine how different they look when you see them in person. They are quite large and you can see the brush strokes, scrub marks where the brush was used vigorously enough to damage the paper, and sometimes bits of grass or dirt. Please consider a visit to Washington D.C. to see this show if you live in the area. I promise you will be stunned as well!
