Andrew Wyeth, son of famed Illustrator N.C. Wyeth.....one of the American greats, passed away this morning. He was one of my favorite artists growing up and to an extent, he still is because I view him as a type of rogue who never got caught up in the critics' opinion of himself and his work. His reputation suffered tremendously throughout the years for taking this position and of course, you can't please everyone but the last time I checked, it's not easy pleasing any critic, especially an art critic and DOUBLE that for an art critic who use to be an artist but couldn't make it in the art world.

You have to view his work in real life to fully appreciate what he is capable of and his work will make you stand still. I never felt as if I were the "passive observer" but rather; seeing through his eyes and heart and feeling a genuine presence of the painters psyche. Something I rarely feel with today's art. There is something to be said for mastering ones craft and skill and he did it effectively through meticulous brushwork. So many artists have tried to copy him and have failed miserably. He was, to say the least "obsessed".  This is not your typical photo-realism...it goes beyond realism entirely. One of the reasons he is hated by the art world is simply because he was so gifted with his technique and few people can even come close to achieving what he accomplished or be as prolific. Sure, he had a lot of sentimental work and it's not his strongest point but what artist doesn't go through this stage or express some type of human sentiment?

Good to see someone who went against the grain, the norm or more importantly, the smug pretentiousness of the Art World. His work was more than just technical precision and I believe, in time, will be seen as a rare and misunderstood man.  

I saw the work below in a show once (title-Winter, 1946) and it's mesmerizing in real life. Tone, mood, abstraction, complexity, strangeness, "otherness", somber, austere, pensive, powerful and unsettling. Did mention dark? I love it.