Andrew Wyeth - Benny's Scarecrow

Benny's Scarecrow

Andrew Wyeth is one of the most celebrated living artists in history. Several galleries and museums, including the National Gallery of Art, display his work when prior to this they had never featured the work of a living artist.

Andrew Wyeth’s ability to create unmistakably realistic images set to a fictional tone both impressed and enraged critics. During his sixty-year career, his work gradually began an evolution from realism to surrealistic expressionism to a combination of both. This is the primary reason for the feelings of rage held by these critics. They felt if he were to be taken seriously as an artist and build a career based on merit, he should not be working in such a light medium.

This “painter of the people,” as he was often referred to as, holds no high school diploma, formal training or college degree. Until he was eighteen years of age, Wyeth’s father Newell (otherwise known as N. C. Wyeth) homeschooled him and trained him in the arts. His parents, based in part on his frail health, made this decision about his education. When he was very young, he contracted whooping cough and was prone to illnesses thereafter. Rather than continuing to deal with schools any longer, he attended until the third grade; it was thought best his father taught him at home.

Wyeth, now eighty-three years of age, still paints all day everyday. He still speaks during dedications, such as the celebration of his eightieth birthday, and gives interviews. His life, full of creation and success, is and inspiration to both seasoned artists and those in training.