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nimnlil t1_je9kpfa wrote

Always loved this painting!

17

sfxer001 t1_je9lslq wrote

My mother had a copy of this in our dining room. She always told me the woman had polio and could not make it home. I always questioned how did she get there in the first place? There’s no trail of her crawling there through the tall grass.

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greatunknownpub t1_je9nd4y wrote

Replying to sfxer001 (#2,481,767)

> Wyeth’s neighbor Anna Christina Olson inspired the composition, which is one of four paint­ings by Wyeth in which she appears. As a young girl, Olson developed a degenerative muscle condition—possibly polio—that left her unable to walk. She refused to use a wheelchair, preferring to crawl, as depicted here, using her arms to drag her lower body along. “The challenge to me,” Wyeth explained, “was to do justice to her extraordinary conquest of a life which most people would consider hopeless.”

https://www.moma.org/collection/works/78455

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Ephemerror t1_je9xeql wrote

I always thought it was rather strange that her arms were drawn to be so thin, especially as she was supposed to have effectively walked on her arms, and her legs are thin too, giving her a gaunt look, but then her butt is so full.

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lemonpolarseltzer t1_jeam6to wrote

I always thought it deserved a better spot in MoMA. For years it was (maybe still is?) in a small hall right next to the stairs.

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No_East_8550 t1_jeamkq9 wrote

I saw this four years ago at the MoMA and have been searching for the title ever since!

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in-joy t1_jeao2dr wrote

To me, this painting is a great combination of naturalism (realism) and abstraction.

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99redproblooms t1_jeav9p2 wrote

Replying to lemonpolarseltzer (#2,491,446)

When it hung at The Art Institute of Chicago, it had a really special place in a quiet Americana room downstairs.

When I went to see it at MoMA, I was absolutely shocked. It's in a busy hallway by some bathrooms.

WTF, MoMA? For reals. It's hard to appreciate such subtle beauty with hundreds of people shuffling by.

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A_knight_I_am t1_jeb0cxn wrote

I saw this in person on a high school field trip to the art museum. I spent so much time staring at this painting. Still can’t place what it was that I liked about it. Digital copies have never held me or captured my attention in the same way as viewing it in person did. Art museums are the best.

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neomal t1_jeb0ht3 wrote

Replying to in-joy (#2,491,887)

I was able to see a Wyeth exhibit in the Denver Art Museum a few years ago and their markmaking is absolutely insane. Great use of abstract effects to create realistic composition.

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dewpacs t1_jeb3wem wrote

Replying to greatunknownpub (#2,482,171)

Interesting bit from Wikipedia:

A scene in the 1994 film Forrest Gump was inspired by the painting. When Jenny returns home, she throws herself on the ground and mirrors Olson's pose in reverse.

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Criss_Crossx t1_jeb8ht0 wrote

I have a Wyeth book somewhere, the paintings always mesmerized me.

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ManyBlueMoonsAgo t1_jeba40z wrote

I always think of Forrest Gump when I see this painting. Really like the way Zemeckis mirrored the image with Jenny at her childhood home.

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_SwordsSwordsSwords_ t1_jebg35l wrote

My favorite painting! It’s stunning person- except that I when I saw it, it was displayed in the hallway leading into the museum cafeteria!

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JimShore t1_jebhpih wrote

This is one of my favorite works of art, a great work of constructed realism. It is in possession currently/owned by the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. But Andrew Wyeth isn't highbrow or controversial enough for MOMA so they won't hang this painting for view in the museum - it's in storage. It seems to me that if they won't show the painting, they shouldn't have it.

MOMA link - https://www.moma.org/collection/works/78455

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jacksont8 t1_jebiwsg wrote

Replying to sfxer001 (#2,481,767)

I can copy and paste this exact comment and it’d be 100% applicable to my life haha. Literally ditto. I always imagined some mean dude just threw her in the field and walked away.

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ugmold t1_jebj0uw wrote

When I was about 7 that would put me all most in a dream state.

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Kcue6382nevy t1_jebmjzr wrote

I know this one from an episode of the Simpsons where mr burns has this painting but with the girl replaced with him

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marissa0630 t1_jebmy6f wrote

There’s a great novel, A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline, about this painting.

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SirGuy11 t1_jebphpb wrote

I don’t know why this painting captivates me so.

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felixame t1_jebxbpc wrote

Replying to eastoak961 (#2,500,443)

Whaaaat she had the dog painting too! I didn't know they were done by the same artist. When I was a kid I would imagine that one of the upper floor windows of the farmhouse was the same window from the dog painting.

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Green_Message_6376 t1_jec31vh wrote

Replying to A_knight_I_am (#2,494,830)

>Art museums are the best.

Completely agree, only time this wasn't true for me was at the Louvre in Paris. My own fault probably, there was just too much art. I thought I was going to faint. Should probably take a two week trip to Paris, and break that museum into digestible chunks.

It is highly doubtful I'll ever have the scratch for such a trip.

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Zachariot88 t1_jec508e wrote

There's a great episode of Atlanta inspired by this painting.

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Own_Ad3061 t1_jeccayy wrote

I bet she’d make a great stand up comedian

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bettertree8 t1_jeckwj5 wrote

If you ever have a chance go to the Brandywine Museum of Art in Chadds Ford, Pa. Lots of Wyeth painting.

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mysticcircuits t1_jecnxra wrote

I've seen this in person, he rendered every single blade of grass in the painting. Its really striking to see up close.

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rockym73 t1_jecoqqz wrote

Loved the Brandwine Museum in PA. Wyeth painted scenery nearby where he lived (in PA), so the museum had a whole collection of amazing work.

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SlowThePath t1_jecqrfz wrote

Whenever I see this painting, I can't help but think of Terrence Malick's Days of Heaven. He must have pulled some influence from this.

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supagirl277 t1_jecqvuw wrote

This was made with the tiniest of brushes. Like, if you can zoom in on the grass, it is made up of so many different tiny brush strokes, it’s insane.

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mazurzapt t1_jecsjgu wrote

Replying to felixame (#2,493,964)

My mom loved this pairing as well. I find it so interesting that all these older women liked this painting. I wonder what the draw was? What did they see? I always thought it was weird but didn’t know the back story.

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JoeCasella t1_jecydks wrote

Has the same alienated, isolated, empty, cavernous feels of an Edward Hopper painting.

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jorgthorn t1_jedgkn9 wrote

Hopper master of empty. Intentional stale familiar. I like him like the band Tool

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totalpugs89 t1_jedn00d wrote

I remember this one, either my mum or Nana had a copy but it always freaked me out.

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ghostcompost t1_jedoqf1 wrote

Replying to greatunknownpub (#2,482,171)

I think there's also a weird perspective trick going on here as well. We studied this painting in school. If I remember correctly, given how far she appears to be from the buildings, she's actually a giant. But you can't tell for some reason.

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PalmMallMars t1_jee8bpz wrote

Look up the other paintings of this guy. He can paint.

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TrilobiteTerror t1_jefd9qu wrote

One of my all time favorite paintings (and probably my favorite American regionalist painting).

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