Andrew Wyeth: Life and Death

Life and Death explores the significance of picturing one's own death in the context of Wyeth's late career and contemporary American art. It presents a recently rediscovered series of pencil drawings from the early 1990s, through which Wyeth imagined his own funeral. Chapters by leading art historians explore the connection between Wyeth's work and his engagement with death as an artistic subject. The book also inserts Wyeth's work into a larger conversation about mortality and self-portraiture that developed in American art since the 1960s.

Format: Hardback
Length: 144 pages
Publication date: 07 June 2022
Publisher: Distributed Art Publishers

Introduction:

Andrew Wyeth's Life and Death: Exploring the Meaning of Picturing One's Own Death

In a remarkable turn of events, a recently discovered series of pencil drawings from the early 1990s has shed light on the artistic process of one of America's most renowned painters, Andrew Wyeth. These drawings, which depict Wyeth's imagined funeral, offer a unique insight into the artist's late career and his profound exploration of the human condition.

Chapter 1: Contextualizing Wyeth's Late Career and the Significance of Self-Portraiture

Leading art historians delve into the significance of picturing one's own death within the context of Wyeth's late career. They explore how his engagement with death as an artistic subject in painting, his relationships with the models depicted, and his use of drawing as an expressive and exploratory medium shaped his artistic trajectory. The book establishes a connection between Wyeth's funeral series and his decades-long exploration of mortality and self-portraiture, which emerged as a prominent theme in American art since the 1960s.

Chapter 2: The Universality of Death as a Human Experience

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and the national reckoning with racial inequality that emerged in 2020, questions about loss, grief, vulnerability, and (im)mortality have become increasingly urgent. Wyeth's Life and Death addresses these ideas that pervade the current moment, particularly in the context of self-portraiture. The book explores how Wyeth's work engages with the universality of death as a human experience, transcending cultural and historical boundaries.

Chapter 3: Wyeth's Contemporaries and the Exploration of Mortality

The book also includes a discussion of Wyeth's contemporaries, who posed a variety of existential questions in their own portrayals of death. Artists such as Duane Michals, Andy Warhol, David Wojnarowicz, George Tooker, Janaina Tschäpe, and Mario Moore are examined in relation to Wyeth's work, highlighting the diverse approaches and perspectives they brought to the subject.

Conclusion:

Andrew Wyeth's Life and Death presents a captivating exploration of the meaning of picturing one's own death. Through the presentation of the recently rediscovered pencil drawings and the insights of leading art historians, the book sheds light on Wyeth's artistic process, his relationships with his models, and his profound engagement with mortality. The book also inserts Wyeth's work into a larger conversation about mortality and self-portraiture that developed in American art since the 1960s, highlighting its relevance and timeliness in the contemporary context.

Weight: 778g
Dimension: 268 x 212 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781636810348