Carolyn Wyeth
Encyclopedia
Carolyn Wyeth icon Carolyn Wyeth, daughter of N.C. Wyeth and sister of Andrew Wyeth
, was a well-known artist in her own right. Her hometown was Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania
. She worked and taught out of N. C. Wyeth House and Studio
. Her nephew, Jamie Wyeth
was one of her students.
N.C. was an attentive father, fostering each of the children's interests and talents. The family was close, spending time reading together, taking walks, fostering "a closeness with nature" and developing a feeling for Wyeth family history. As Carolyn Wyeth said about her father to David McCullough for a Smithsonian video, "The Wyeths: A Father and his Family," "He did everything in a big way; if he bought paint he bought too much paint-which I do."
In the 1920s Wyeth's father had become a celebrity and the family often had celebrities as guests, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald
and Mary Pickford
. The home bustled with creative activity and competition.
N.C. and Carolyn's five children were all talented. Henriette Wyeth Hurd
, the eldest, became a well-known painter of portraits and still lifes. Carolyn, was the second child. Nathaniel Wyeth
the third child a successful inventor. Ann, was a musician at a young age, then became a composer as an adult. Andrew
was the youngest child.
starting with a foundational grounding in drawing using charcoal, mastering studies of cubes, pyramid and plaster casts. Her father's guidance to know and become emotionally in tune with her subjects became her artistic guiding principal.
Carolyn lived in her parents Chadds Ford home her entire life.
At age 12, Wyeth's nephew Jamie
began study in the studio filled with the art work and props of his grandfather. In the morning he studied English and history at his home, and in the afternoon joined other students at the studio, learning fundamentals of drawing and composition. He stated later, "She was very restrictive. It wasn’t interesting, but it was important." Through Wyeth, Jamie developed an interest in working with oil, a medium he enjoyed at a sensory level: the look, smell and feel of it.
Wyeth passed some of her traits to her nephew. Both prefer to work with oil paint and charcoal. Wyeth enjoys working with animals "particularly chickens and dogs", as does Jamie. Both also enjoy solitude to work. Carolyn said to Richard Meryman in an interview "I think all great stuff comes out of being alone. At the time you may feel lonely, but it's doing something wonderful to you."
Andrew Wyeth
Andrew Newell Wyeth was a visual artist, primarily a realist painter, working predominantly in a regionalist style. He was one of the best-known U.S. artists of the middle 20th century....
, was a well-known artist in her own right. Her hometown was Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
. She worked and taught out of N. C. Wyeth House and Studio
N. C. Wyeth House and Studio
The N. C. Wyeth House and Studio was a home of painter N. C. Wyeth in Chadds Ford Township, Pennsylvania.After N. C. Wyeth died, Mrs. Wyeth lived in the house until 1973, then their daughter, Carolyn Wyeth, lived there and painted in the studio until her death in 1994, when the Brandywine River...
. Her nephew, Jamie Wyeth
Jamie Wyeth
James Browning Wyeth is a contemporary American realist painter. He was raised in Chadds Ford Township, Pennsylvania, son of Andrew Wyeth and grandson of N.C. Wyeth...
was one of her students.
Childhood
Carolyn Wyeth (1909–1994) was the second child of illustrator and artist N.C. (Newell Convers) Wyeth and his wife, Carolyn Bockius Wyeth to live into their adulthood. Their first, also named Carolyn, was born in 1906 and died December of the same year. As a girl, Wyeth attended the Quaker Friends' School with her sister Henriette.N.C. was an attentive father, fostering each of the children's interests and talents. The family was close, spending time reading together, taking walks, fostering "a closeness with nature" and developing a feeling for Wyeth family history. As Carolyn Wyeth said about her father to David McCullough for a Smithsonian video, "The Wyeths: A Father and his Family," "He did everything in a big way; if he bought paint he bought too much paint-which I do."
In the 1920s Wyeth's father had become a celebrity and the family often had celebrities as guests, such as F. Scott Fitzgerald
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was an American author of novels and short stories, whose works are the paradigm writings of the Jazz Age, a term he coined himself. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century. Fitzgerald is considered a member of the "Lost...
and Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
. The home bustled with creative activity and competition.
N.C. and Carolyn's five children were all talented. Henriette Wyeth Hurd
Henriette Wyeth
Henriette Wyeth Hurd was an American artist noted for portraits and still life paintings. She was the wife of artist Peter Hurd, daughter of illustrator N.C. Wyeth and sister of artist Andrew Wyeth. She was also the mother of artist Michael Hurd...
, the eldest, became a well-known painter of portraits and still lifes. Carolyn, was the second child. Nathaniel Wyeth
Nathaniel Wyeth (inventor)
Nathaniel C. Wyeth was an American mechanical engineer and inventor. He is best known for creating a polyethylene terephthalate beverage container that could withstand the pressure of carbonated liquids...
the third child a successful inventor. Ann, was a musician at a young age, then became a composer as an adult. Andrew
Andrew Wyeth
Andrew Newell Wyeth was a visual artist, primarily a realist painter, working predominantly in a regionalist style. He was one of the best-known U.S. artists of the middle 20th century....
was the youngest child.
Artistic training
At the age of 12 Wyeth began training with her father in his studioN. C. Wyeth House and Studio
The N. C. Wyeth House and Studio was a home of painter N. C. Wyeth in Chadds Ford Township, Pennsylvania.After N. C. Wyeth died, Mrs. Wyeth lived in the house until 1973, then their daughter, Carolyn Wyeth, lived there and painted in the studio until her death in 1994, when the Brandywine River...
starting with a foundational grounding in drawing using charcoal, mastering studies of cubes, pyramid and plaster casts. Her father's guidance to know and become emotionally in tune with her subjects became her artistic guiding principal.
Adulthood
Wyeth's sensitive nature lies beneath "her feisty, no-nonsense demeanor" attributes which are reflected in the direct yet perceptive depiction of her subjects. By her early 20s, Carolyn Wyeth found her own mode of expression and won exhibition awards and accolades.Carolyn lived in her parents Chadds Ford home her entire life.
Marriage
Carolyn married fellow artist Franceso Joseph Delle Donne (1919–2007) in 1941. They divorced in 1952.Teaching
Wyeth taught painting for more than 30 years starting in the 1940s, primarily at Chadds Ford, and also in Maine during the summers.At age 12, Wyeth's nephew Jamie
Jamie Wyeth
James Browning Wyeth is a contemporary American realist painter. He was raised in Chadds Ford Township, Pennsylvania, son of Andrew Wyeth and grandson of N.C. Wyeth...
began study in the studio filled with the art work and props of his grandfather. In the morning he studied English and history at his home, and in the afternoon joined other students at the studio, learning fundamentals of drawing and composition. He stated later, "She was very restrictive. It wasn’t interesting, but it was important." Through Wyeth, Jamie developed an interest in working with oil, a medium he enjoyed at a sensory level: the look, smell and feel of it.
Style and technique
Wyeth found her inspiration for her work in solitude of Chadds Ford. For her, painting was soothing. She followed her own path artistically, yet like her father and brother Andrew she drew from her life and the surroundings of Chadd Ford. Wyeth's work reflects strong design, bold color and nuanced emotion. Wyeth primarily painted still lifes of items that were part of her daily life, like a chair, pumpkin, items in the studio. She also drew landscapes of the woods and fields seen around her home. Wyeth painted about four paintings a year and rarely exhibited. Of her work, Brandywine Museum published: "Her paintings reconstruct private moments from the past and often evoke an air of romance, remembrance and loss."Wyeth passed some of her traits to her nephew. Both prefer to work with oil paint and charcoal. Wyeth enjoys working with animals "particularly chickens and dogs", as does Jamie. Both also enjoy solitude to work. Carolyn said to Richard Meryman in an interview "I think all great stuff comes out of being alone. At the time you may feel lonely, but it's doing something wonderful to you."
Exhibitions
- "Unique Force: The Art of Carolyn Wyeth" at the Brandywine River Museum included 40 paintings and drawings, including portraits of family members, including her brother Andrew. It was the first exhibition of her work in 30 years.