Howard Pyle, N. C. Wyeth, and Andrew Wyeth
W. Barksdale MaynardThe Brandywine Tradition, founded by Howard Pyle and carried on by N. C. Wyeth and others, is rooted in superb draftsmanship, sumptuous handling of oil paint, and detailed visual observation (if not exhaustive historical research). The tradition was carried into our own times by Andrew Wyeth, among the most beloved of American artists.
Artists of Wyeth Country offers admirers of this school a chance to literally follow in these artists’ footsteps. Journalist W. Barksdale Maynard provides six in-depth walking and driving tours that allow readers to visit the places the Wyeths and Pyle painted in Chadds Ford, PA. As Maynard explains, Andrew Wyeth’s artistic process was influenced by Henry David Thoreau’s nature-worship and by simply walking daily. Maps, aerial photographs, as well as glorious full-color images and artworks of the landscape (many never reproduced before) illustrate the text.
Maynard also presents an unauthorized and unbiased biographical portrait of Andrew Wyeth. Using interviews he conducted with family, friends, neighbors—and even actress Eva Marie Saint—he shines a different light on the reclusive artist, emphasizing Wyeth’s artistic debts to both Pyle and surrealism.
Artists of Wyeth Country is sure to be an essential new source for those who love American art as well as for admirers of the scenic landscapes of the Mid-Atlantic, of which the Brandywine Valley is an exceptional example.
“Artists of Wyeth Country is animated by Maynard’s deep admiration for the Brandywine Tradition of Howard Pyle and the Wyeths. He displays extensive knowledge of the art of Pyle, N. C. Wyeth, and Andrew Wyeth, and offers memorable insights into their work. Particularly strong is the emphasis on the importance of walking to all three artists. The detailed guide to ‘Wyeth Country’ is filled with interesting information and colorful anecdotes that will delight Wyeth aficionados. The book makes a unique and valuable contribution to Wyeth studies.”
—David Cateforis, Professor of American Art and Modern and Contemporary Art at the University of Kansas, and editor of Rethinking Andrew Wyeth
“What a wonderful idea for a book! No American artists are more closely associated with a specific landscape than the Wyeths of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. In his Artists of Wyeth Country, W. Barksdale Maynard brings vividly to life the then-rural Brandywine area made famous by N. C. and Andrew Wyeth—along with the illustrator Howard Pyle—and gives us, for the first time, a roadmap to the places that inspired them. A treat for Wyeth lovers everywhere.”
—Annalyn Swan, coauthor of the Pulitzer Prize–winning de Kooning: An American Master and Francis Bacon: Revelations
" (T)he book is well illustrated with works by N. C., Pyle, and their contemporaries.... This guidebook has the perfect scope and is well documented.... VERDICT This readable title will appeal to readers interested in the art of the Brandywine School or Revolutionary War history."
—Library Journal
"Artists of Wyeth Country offers admirers of the Brandywine tradition a novel opportunity to follow in their footsteps.... Artists of Wyeth Country extends an engaging invitation to revisit the Brandywine region through the eyes of painters who shaped its enduring image in American art."
—Pennsylvania Heritage
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