American painter Andrew Wyeth, son of artist N. C. Wyeth died January 16th at the age of 91. Christina's World is one of his most famous paintings. He's known for painting people and the surrounding areas of his home in Pennsylvania. The woman crawling through the tawny grass was the artist's neighbor in Maine, who, crippled by polio, "was limited physically but by no means spiritually." Wyeth further explained, "The challenge to me was to do justice to her extraordinary conquest of a life which most people would consider hopeless." He recorded the arid landscape, rural house, and shacks with great detail, painting minute blades of grass, individual strands of hair, and nuances of light and shadow. In this style of painting, known as magic realism, everyday scenes are imbued with poetic mystery. ~ The Museum of Modern Art
Andrew Wyeth in his father's studio in Chadd's Ford, PA in 1997.
