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Unique Force: The Art of
Carolyn Wyeth
January 24 - March 15, 2009
The Brandywine River
Museum presents Unique Force: The Art of Carolyn Wyeth, featuring
over 40 paintings and drawings that relate to all aspects of
her career. It also includes many fascinating portraits
of her by family members, including her brother, Andrew Wyeth. On view from
January 24 to March 15, 2009, this is the first exhibition of her work in
30 years. (right: Carolyn Wyeth, 1979. Photo by Rusty Kennedy)
Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994), painter and daughter of the
illustrator N. C. Wyeth, grew up in a family of artists. She was known for
her feisty, no-nonsense demeanor, yet this hard edge veiled a sensitive
soul. Her paintings appear very straightforward and bold yet reveal intensely
personal perspectives and perceptions.
As with her father, N.C. Wyeth, and especially her brother
Andrew, Carolyn's life and art drew sustenance from her immediate surroundings
and memories. Her paintings reconstruct private moments from the past and
often evoke an air of romance, remembrance and loss. Her subjects are often
her immediate surroundings, such as a chair, a pumpkin, props from the studio,
or the woods and fields near her home. She usually produced only three or
four paintings per year, did little to promote her work, and exhibited infrequently.
Until late in life, she did not even always sign her paintings.
Carolyn Wyeth began her artistic training with her father
at the age of 12. N.C. Wyeth gave his children solid grounding in drawing,
insisting that charcoal studies of cubes, pyramids, and plaster casts be
mastered before touching a brush. However, as the family rebel and non-conformer,
Carolyn balked at N.C.'s rules and expectations, and painted as she pleased.
As she matured, his advice to know and feel subjects deeply and to put that
experience in her work became her guiding principal.
By her early 20s, Carolyn Wyeth found her own mode of expression
and won exhibition awards and accolades. In the early 1940s, she began to
teach painting both in Chadds Ford and, during summers, in Maine. She taught
for over 30 years, and her devoted students included her nephew Jamie Wyeth.
Carolyn Wyeth lived out her days at the family home and
studio in Chadds Ford. It was there that she found both inspiration for
her art and the solitude she sought to create it. Ultimately, she cared
nothing about innovation or competition in the world of art. Painting soothed
her "wild" side and gave coherence to her emotions. The aesthetic
qualities -- strength of design, boldness of color, and subtle emotional
tenor -- in her paintings have been nationally recognized by critics and
museums. Carolyn Wyeth's unique works are a vital part of the Wyeth family
and of art history in the Brandywine Valley.

(above: Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994), Spare Room, 1978,
Oil on canvas, 31 1/2 x 27 1/2 inches. Private Collection)
Exhibition checklist
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- Blackberries, 1968
- Oil on canvas, 33 _ x 27 _"
- Coll. of Brandywine River Museum
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Wyeth, 1985
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- The Cabbage, 1944
- Oil on canvas, 24 _ x 26 _"
- Coll. of Brandywine River Museum
- Anonymous Gift, 1997
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- Chicken House, 1967
- Oil on canvas, 19 _ x 22 _"
- Coll. of Brandywine River Museum
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Wyeth, 1985
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- Dark Shore, 1933
- Oil on canvas, 26 _ x 35 _"
- Coll. of Brandywine River Museum
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Wyeth, 1985
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- Deep Summer (II), ca. 1956
- Oil on canvas, 40 _ x 30 3/8"
- Coll. of Brandywine River Museum
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Wyeth, 1970
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- Mask of Keats, circa 1940
- Oil on canvas, 38 _ x 43 _"
- Coll. of Brandywine River Museum
- Museum Purchase, 2003
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- Mason Jar, ca. 1953
- Oil on canvas, 22 1/8 x 36 1/8"
- Coll. of Brandywine River Museum
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Wyeth, 1985
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- Open Window, 1944
- Oil on canvas, 25 x 36"
- Coll. of Brandywine River Museum
- Gift of Carolyn Wyeth, 1979, in memory of L. Arnold
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- Up from the Woods, 1974
- Oil on canvas, 27 _ x 33 _"
- Coll. of Brandywine River Museum
- Museum Purchase, 1984
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- Still life with Pyramid and Mug, circa 1925
- Charcoal on paper, 9 x 13'
- Coll. of Brandywine River Museum
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Wyeth, 1985
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- Betsy's Pumpkin, 1935
- Oil on canvas, 31 3/8 x 39 _"
- Coll. of Brandywine River Museum
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Wyeth, 1985
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- Shostakovich, ca. 1935
- Oil on canvas
- Unpublished cover design for an audio recording
- Coll. of Brandywine River Museum
- Museum Purchase, 2007
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- The Rail Pile, 1945
- Oil on canvas, 27 x 27"
- Coll. of Brandywine River Museum
- Bequest of Emmeline. B. McIlvain, 2006
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- Ridge Church, 1937
- Oil on canvas, 25 _ x 30 _"
- Coll. of Brandywine River Museum
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Wyeth, 1985
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- N.C. Wyeth's Barn, 1974
- Oil on canvas, 27 _ x 31 1/2
- Coll. of Brandywine River Museum
- Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Wyeth, 1985
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- Study of a Horse, circa 1925
- Graphite on paper, 8 _ x 11 7/8"
- Coll. of Brandywine River Museum
- Bequest of Carolyn Wyeth, 1996
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- Study of Two Horses, circa 1925
- Graphite on paper, 8 _ x 12"
- Coll. of Brandywine River Museum
- Bequest of Carolyn Wyeth, 1996
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- Study of a Horse's Head, circa 1925
- Graphite on paper, 10 3/8 x 7 7/8"
- Coll. of Brandywine River Museum
- Bequest of Carolyn Wyeth, 1996
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- A Stand of Fir Trees,
- Oil on canvas, 30 x 36
- Coll. of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Wyeth
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- Bottle, circa 1924
- Charcoal on paper
- Coll. of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Wyeth
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- Brown Bottle, 1946
- Oil on canvas
- Coll. of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Wyeth
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- Death Mask of Keats, circa 1940
- Oil on canvas, approximately 33 x 40"
- Coll. of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Wyeth
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- Dodo, circa 1930
- Oil on canvas, 32 x 32"
- Coll. of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Wyeth
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- Princess's Room, 1979
- Oil on canvas, 36 x 30
- Coll. of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Wyeth
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- The Stool, circa 1960
- Oil on canvas, 18 _ x 22 _
- Private Coll.
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- Ludwig van Beethoven, circa 1920
- Pencil on paper, 22 _ x 16 _
- Private Coll.
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- Black-Eyed Susans, 1935
- Oil on canvas, 38 x 1/8 x 32"
- Private Coll.
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- Black Pony, circa 1925
- Oil on canvas, 34 _ x 34 1/8"
- Private Coll.
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- Black Spruce, 1974
- Oil on canvas, 28 x 34"
- Private Coll.
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- Spare Room, 1978
- Oil on canvas, 31 _ x 27 _"
- Private Coll.
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- Snake Fence, not dated
- Oil on canvas, 22 _ x 30 _"
- Coll. of Richard A. McLellan
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- Chadds Ford, circa 1960
- Oil on canvas, 48 x 31"
- Coll. of Delaware Art Museum, Anonymous Gift, 1961
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- Dogwood Branch, circa 1927
- Oil on canvas, 25 x 25"
- Private Coll.
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- Cow Corn, 1961
- Oil on canvas, 37 x 39"
- Coll. of Chadds Ford Elementary School
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- Lighthouse, 1933
- Oil on canvas, 36 _ x 36"
- Private Coll.
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- Husky's Porch, 1976
- Oil on canvas, 28 x 34 _"
- Coll. of Dr. Charles B. Blackshear, MD, and Lawrence Rick Campanelli,
Esq.
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- The Apple Tree, 1949
- Oil on canvas, 31 x 32"
- Coll. of Charles B. Blackshear, MD and Lawrence Rick Campanelli, Esq.
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- Still Life with Lily in the Studio, 1940
- Oil on canvas
- Private Coll.
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- The Jones House, 1937
- Oil on canvas,
- Coll. of Somerville-Manning Gallery,
- Greenville, Delaware
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- Still Life with Jug and Bowl, circa 1930
- Oil on canvas,
- Coll. of Somerville-Manning Gallery,
- Greenville, Delaware
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- Untitled (flowers in a green vase), before 1939
- Oil on canvas, 30 1/8 x 28 _
- Private Coll.
-
- Carolyn Wyeth (1909-1994)
- Untitled (house and road in Maine), circa 1940
- Oil on canvas, 30 x 24
- Private Coll.
- Portraits of Carolyn
-
- N.C. Wyeth (1882-1945)
- Portrait of Carolyn, 1925
- Oil on canvas, 30 x 30 1/8"
- Coll. of Brandywine River Museum
- Bequest of Carolyn Wyeth, 1996
-
- N.C. Wyeth (1882-1945)
- Portrait of Carolyn, no date
- Pencil on paper, 9 x 7"
- Coll. of Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Wyeth
-
- Henriette Wyeth (1907-1997)
- Portrait of Carolyn, circa 1925
- Oil on canvas, approx. 22 x 22"
- Private Coll.
-
- Henriette Wyeth (1907-1997)
- Portrait of Carolyn Wyeth, circa 1925
- Oil on canvas, 24 _ x 19 _"
- Coll. of Brandywine River Museum
- Bequest of Carolyn Wyeth, 1996