Andrew Wyeth - Christina's World (1948)
Blog post: Analyze a piece of art of your own choosing that relies on the notion of a particular space. It can be of any medium, but it has to work with an identifiable place. Answer the following questions: What is the meaning behind the chosen location? How was the audience supposed to approach it? What was your experience?
Probably everyone could notice that Wyeth's paintings are in some kind of way introverted. We can notice that because there is no brightness in them. Burnt grass. Unpainted, dilapidated houses. Wind. One or two items. It is also rare to see people in them.
You can't just see the most important thing in them the first time. You need to stand up, and take a closer look. And only after some time you will consider what is "hidden" in the second layer of the artwork.
I confess that I, like most, fell victim to the first superficial impression. In the fragile figure I saw a girl. A girl who was running to her house suddenly stumbled. Her whole posture, her whole impulse is directed there, towards the house. It seems that now she will get up, shake off her dress, and run again.
I examined the photo in detail. And finally, I can discern barely noticeable details: the gray in Christina's hair and the fingers that clutched the grass, all dirty from the ground. Gray unpainted houses and every burnt-out blade of grass on the field. I analyzed this picture by heart, and yet I could not feel the struggle and challenge in it. Until finally I realized that all the information I had read about her was preventing me from perceiving the picture.
Then I asked myself the eternal question "What did the author want to say?" If the author wanted to show her struggle, he could have named the painting "Christina's Fight", right? He would have portrayed Christina in close-up, perhaps even facing us. So that we would be imbued with all her feat, work, and challenge. But he showed us only a frail figure in an awkward pose, and a house in the distance.
According to the original plan, the artist did not want to paint the figure of a woman at all! The artwork was conceived without Christina, it seemed to the artist that her presence in this world should have been transmitted to the viewer anyway: an endless field, a house near the horizon, a piece of sky. We would look at the world through Christina's eyes without seeing her.
One day the artist saw a neighbor from the window of his house. She was sitting on the grass in the same position in which she is depicted in the painting, and seemed very exhausted. Wyatt's first impulse was to rush to her aid, but he immediately realized that his impulse would only offend this woman. She, who refused a wheelchair in which she should have been carried by someone, did not need help at all. Her choice was freedom, including the freedom to move independently, wherever and when she decides.
Just imagine. Kristina did not live in an apartment with all the amenities. She lived on a farm. Without hot water, washing machine, dishwasher and other benefits of civilization. Nevertheless, she was independent and almost completely took care of herself. And even did a lot of housekeeping. That's what the picture is about. About the power of the spirit. Despite seemingly insurmountable life circumstances, a person has found the strength to live a decent life. Without whining and self-pity. Wyeth couldn't help but paint this picture. Kristina's story did not let the artist go. Before his eyes, this little figure on the field was still standing.
By looking at this artwork, we see the house as if from two points at once. Through the eyes of Christina, from her position. The distance to it is so big, and even uphill. Christina will have to crawl through this burnt-out field on her own hands. But it's not the first time she's done this! And not for the last time. And through the eyes of the artist, from the height of the second floor of his house: Kristina is downstairs, we are only a casual observer of her life. This amazing perspective created by the artist allows us to be inside the painting, while also being outside of it. We are both spectators and participants at the same time. We are invited to Christina's world as equals.
Bibliography:
Esaak, S., 2022. The Element of Space in Artistic Media. [online] ThoughtCo. Available at: <https://www.thoughtco.com/definition-of-space-in-art-182464> [Accessed 29 May 2022].
Anapur, E., 2022. What Is Space in Art? Examples and Definition | Widewalls. [online] Widewalls. Available at: <https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/space-in-art> [Accessed 29 May 2022].
The Museum of Modern Art. 2022. Andrew Wyeth. Christina's World. 1948 | MoMA. [online] Available at: <https://www.moma.org/collection/works/78455> [Accessed 29 May 2022].
Small, Z., 2022. The Controversial Story behind Andrew Wyeth’s Most Famous Painting. [online] Artsy. Available at: <https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-controversial-story-andrew-wyeths-famous-painting> [Accessed 29 May 2022].
