My girlfriend Jessica and I had the chance to see the Andrew Wyeth exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Saturday, and it was absolutely amazing. I highly recommend setting aside a few hours and touring the exhibit, because it was a very enjoyable way to spend an afternoon.
Many of Wyeth's paintings feature basic scenes of farm landscapes, portraits of personal friends and neighbors, or empty interiors of houses. He uses a lot of earthtones, and there's a realism in his work that I feel I can grab on to. I visited the Salvador Dali exhibit at the Art Museum last year, and although I was quite impressed with Dali's surreal paintings, they don't provoke as much of an emotional reaction from me as Wyeth's more natural work. Wyeth's paintings and drawings are beautiful, but there is a great deal of depth and symbolism hiding behind the deceptively simple scenes. Also, Wyeth was raised in Chadds Ford, PA, so it's impressive that a world-renowned painter hails from this area, and we're fortunate that his work can be examined and enjoyed in such a close and personal way.
I've always enjoyed going to the Art Museum. The amount of history that is contained within its walls is astonishing, and the ability to see works of art that were created hundreds of years ago is a special treat. Jessica and I walked through the rest of the museum after finishing with the Wyeth retrospective, and since I tend to favor the European paintings and statues that feature various religious images, we spent quite a bit of time in those areas. The stuff in the Modern Art wing leaves me very cold; Cy Twombly's Fifty Days At Iliam series, which recounts The Iliad via scribbled names and abstract crayon figures, elicited quite a few chuckles from me and my lady. I may be a snob, but if a painting looks half-assed, or if it appears that could do it, then it ain't art.
Tickets for Andrew Wyeth: Memory and Magic can be purchased in advance here. The exhibit closes on July 16, so if you live in Philly or will be visiting the area between now and then, you should take the time to visit the Art Museum and see some of Wyeth's work on display.
Thanks for the reminder
Nice post - I knew (in the back of my mind somewhere) that the Wyeth exhibit was in town, but I keep putting it off. Less than a month to go, so now's the time to figure out when I'm going to see it myself.
I saw the Wyeth Exhibit
Unlike the Princess Grace wedding dress exhibit which is so poorly done they should be ashamed of themselves, the Wyeth exhibit is simply magical. I would say if you haven't gone, GO - I have been twice actually. It is a feast for the eyes and soul