Andrew Wyeth and the Wyeth Tradition, or “the Anxiety of Influence”
This article aims at assessing the true impact of the Wyeth tradition on the art of the American painter, Andrew Wyeth. Indeed, from an early age, the art prodigy was tutored by his father, the famous illustrator and painter N. C. Wyeth. Parallels were also drawn later between the younger figurative...
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| Publicat a: | URI:https://journals.openedition.org/angles, |
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| Format: | Article ou chapitre numérique |
| Idioma: | Anglais |
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Angles
2020
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| Accés en línia: | Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM Accès Université d'Orléans et IFPM |
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openedition-oai:revues.org:angles_1714 |
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openedition |
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OpenEdition Journal |
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Anglais |
| format |
Article ou chapitre numérique |
| building |
0/Bibliothèque numérique/ 1/Bibliothèque numérique/OpenEdition Journals/ |
| topic |
Wyeth Andrew art américain Wyeth N.C. Pyle Howard réalisme américain narrativité iconique anxiété de l’influence autoportrait Gothique métaphore de l’artiste Wyeth Andrew American art Wyeth N.C. Pyle Howard American realism iconic narrativity anxiety of influence self-portrait Gothic metaphor of the artist |
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Wyeth Andrew art américain Wyeth N.C. Pyle Howard réalisme américain narrativité iconique anxiété de l’influence autoportrait Gothique métaphore de l’artiste Wyeth Andrew American art Wyeth N.C. Pyle Howard American realism iconic narrativity anxiety of influence self-portrait Gothic metaphor of the artist Lamouliatte, Helena Andrew Wyeth and the Wyeth Tradition, or “the Anxiety of Influence” |
| description |
This article aims at assessing the true impact of the Wyeth tradition on the art of the American painter, Andrew Wyeth. Indeed, from an early age, the art prodigy was tutored by his father, the famous illustrator and painter N. C. Wyeth. Parallels were also drawn later between the younger figurative painter and his father’s teacher, the renowned illustrator Howard Pyle. However, we contend that the fabrication of this dynasty of American realists has done more harm than good to the critical reception of Andrew Wyeth’s art. Since the mid-1960s, Wyeth’s images have been vilified by most critics and art historians who focus on their supposedly illustrative and theatrical tricks. Nevertheless, some of them hint at a dark and less congruent dimension in Wyeth’s art, while being unable to pinpoint it precisely. By examining more closely Wyeth’s compositional strategy and pictorial technique in the light of his predecessors, this paper suggests that the artist has created a very personal and original synthesis of European and American influences, with a deep Gothic undercurrent. Wyeth’s problematic relationship with his father has also generated a range of obsessive visual tropes betraying his struggle, as a man and as an artist, with what Harold Bloom called “the anxiety of influence”. Lastly, a thorough analysis of some of his occasional self-portraits will attempt to shed light on Wyeth’s complex and morbid depiction of the figure of the artist as a troubled soul. |
| author |
Lamouliatte, Helena |
| author_facet |
Lamouliatte, Helena |
| author_sort |
Lamouliatte, Helena |
| title |
Andrew Wyeth and the Wyeth Tradition, or “the Anxiety of Influence” |
| title_short |
Andrew Wyeth and the Wyeth Tradition, or “the Anxiety of Influence” |
| title_full |
Andrew Wyeth and the Wyeth Tradition, or “the Anxiety of Influence” |
| title_fullStr |
Andrew Wyeth and the Wyeth Tradition, or “the Anxiety of Influence” |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Andrew Wyeth and the Wyeth Tradition, or “the Anxiety of Influence” |
| title_sort |
andrew wyeth and the wyeth tradition, or “the anxiety of influence” |
| publisher |
Angles |
| publishDate |
2020 |
| container_title |
URI:https://journals.openedition.org/angles |
| url |
https://ezproxy.univ-orleans.fr/login?url=https://doi.org/10.4000/angles.1714 https://ezproxy.univ-orleans.fr/login?url=https://journals.openedition.org/angles/1714 |
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1877293947091419136 |
| spelling |
openedition-oai:revues.org:angles_1714 https://doi.org/10.4000/angles.1714 urn:doi:10.4000/angles.1714 en https://journals.openedition.org/angles/1714 2020-07-16T02:00:00Z info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess article info:eu-repo/semantics/article urn:handle:20.500.13089/9n0c https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Andrew Wyeth and the Wyeth Tradition, or “the Anxiety of Influence” Angles Société des Anglicistes de l'Enseignement Supérieur info:eu-repo/semantics/reference/issn/2274-2042 URI:https://journals.openedition.org/angles Lamouliatte, Helena Wyeth Andrew art américain Wyeth N.C. Pyle Howard réalisme américain narrativité iconique anxiété de l’influence autoportrait Gothique métaphore de l’artiste Wyeth Andrew American art Wyeth N.C. Pyle Howard American realism iconic narrativity anxiety of influence self-portrait Gothic metaphor of the artist This article aims at assessing the true impact of the Wyeth tradition on the art of the American painter, Andrew Wyeth. Indeed, from an early age, the art prodigy was tutored by his father, the famous illustrator and painter N. C. Wyeth. Parallels were also drawn later between the younger figurative painter and his father’s teacher, the renowned illustrator Howard Pyle. However, we contend that the fabrication of this dynasty of American realists has done more harm than good to the critical reception of Andrew Wyeth’s art. Since the mid-1960s, Wyeth’s images have been vilified by most critics and art historians who focus on their supposedly illustrative and theatrical tricks. Nevertheless, some of them hint at a dark and less congruent dimension in Wyeth’s art, while being unable to pinpoint it precisely. By examining more closely Wyeth’s compositional strategy and pictorial technique in the light of his predecessors, this paper suggests that the artist has created a very personal and original synthesis of European and American influences, with a deep Gothic undercurrent. Wyeth’s problematic relationship with his father has also generated a range of obsessive visual tropes betraying his struggle, as a man and as an artist, with what Harold Bloom called “the anxiety of influence”. Lastly, a thorough analysis of some of his occasional self-portraits will attempt to shed light on Wyeth’s complex and morbid depiction of the figure of the artist as a troubled soul. Cet article souhaite évaluer l’impact que la « Wyeth tradition » a véritablement eu sur l’art du peintre américain Andrew Wyeth. En effet, le jeune prodige a été dès son plus jeune âge comparé à son père, le peintre et illustrateur N.C. Wyeth, qui a assuré l’éducation artistique de ses enfants, et en particulier celle d’Andrew. Une filiation artistique fut également rapidement établie avec le célèbre illustrateur de livres pour enfants, Howard Pyle, qui avait lui-même été le mentor de N.C. Wyeth. Nous souhaitons néanmoins démontrer que l’invention de cette dynastie de peintres réalistes américains a contribué à discréditer l’art d’Andrew Wyeth auprès des critiques et historiens d’art, en les confortant dans l’idée que ses images ne sont que des illustrations dont la théâtralité est accentuée par une mise en scène aux effets grossiers. Certains critiques perçoivent cependant parfois une dimension plus sombre et une forme de non-congruence dans l’art de Wyeth sans toutefois pouvoir l’expliquer. Cet article se propose d’étudier la technique picturale et les stratégies de composition de l’artiste à la lumière des œuvres de son père et de Howard Pyle, afin de démontrer que Wyeth a opéré une synthèse très personnelle et originale entre des influences américaines et européennes, sous-tendue par un topos Gothique. La relation difficile que Wyeth entretenait avec son père a également engendré des tropes visuels obsessionnels démontrant qu’il était sous l’emprise de ce que Harold Bloom a appelé « l’anxiété de l’influence », relation conflictuelle qu’un artiste entretient avec ses prédécesseurs. Ce réseau d’influences thématiques et esthétiques est particulièrement visible dans certains des rares autoportraits de Wyeth, où l’artiste est figuré comme un être torturé au travers de toiles complexes et morbides. |