Andrew Wyeth’s Christina’s World carries a strong emotional message. This piece of art offers a unique insight into the world of a person created by Wyeth. This painting put me in the state of perplexity and solitude inviting to muse on its ambiguous and puzzling content.
I have chosen this piece of art because I have always admired Andrew Wyeth’s talent and, in broader terms, the combination of realism and symbolism. What attracts me in this genre is probably the opportunity to discover new meanings beyond the common settings. On the one hand, a viewer can recognize the environment, things, and persons pictured in a familiar way. It does not imply that the artist’s mastery is doubted – such works are often beautiful and stunning.
Still, for me, it is not enough. It is always fascinating to try and see more than just ordinary background, objects, and figures. Having seen many pieces of art, I can state that the hidden ideas are marvelous. All these features are relevant to Wyeth’s works. I like his style: an inexperienced viewer is likely to wonder why the color range is limited and the pictures look spare. I appreciate this feature since it underlines the contrast between the colors and lines and brilliant ideas. I picked Christina’s World because this picture has all these traits.
In my opinion, not only the genre but also the fact that somewhat of a plot may be traced is interesting and thought-provoking. When I saw the picture for the first time, I thought it was the common rural scene with a female figure. Although I did not believe that first momentary look, I could hardly imagine that this picture would become one of my favorite artworks and make an impact on me.
Now, looking at the painting, I almost see the life of the woman, all her hardships, and suffering and immediately start thinking about many routine activities and opportunities of which Christina, as well as other people with disabilities, is deprived. Apart from that, I am also interested in the factual information about the artist and his masterpieces. When I learned how Christina’s World was created and who inspired Wyeth, I found it exciting: it is the moral courage and empathy that attract me.
One of the most famous artworks created by the artist, the picture did not attract much attention: in fact, Wyeth was quite unhappy and unsatisfied when Christina’s World was sent to the Macbeth Gallery for a show in 1948 since the critic reception was lukewarm and cool (Souter, 2012, p. 278). However, the picture was to become one of the most influential pieces of art in the course of time. It substantially contributed not only to the American art heritage but also the world culture.
The usage of the negative space was innovative. It was often believed it helped generate positive emotions and gave much room to grow and dream (Hoptman, 2012, p. 26). However, the artist managed to use the negative space in relation to the sad story and meditation on life. Moreover, one can analyze the impact of the topics explored by Wyeth: the painting was ground-breaking because it threw light on both personal issues and the considerations connected with history and the development of the society.
As a human being will always have to deal with suffering, shattered dreams, and frustration, the painting will be of interest to different people. The modern age also brings challenges, and studying Christina’s World and other artworks is the opportunity to find answers in the past.
Context
This artwork was inspired by the Wyeth’s neighbor, Christina Olson, who suffered from a nerve degenerating disease. It prevented her from walking, and, because of this condition, Christina used to crawl or receive other people’s help. Christina’s life had a profound effect on the artist (Esaak, n.d., para. 1). The artist rented a house and happened to live near the Olson’s house in Cushing, Maine; soon, he made friends with Olson and invited her and her younger brother to sit for portrait (Freitag, 2013, p. 66).
Their friendship lasted for many years. Observing Christina’s courageous efforts many times, Wyeth was deeply moved. Christina’s World was created when Olson was 55. While she was the inspiration and subject of the painting, the artist’s primary model was his wife Betsy who posed as the torso of the picture (Freitag, 2013, p. 70). Wyeth depicted the woman crawling through the field in order to show Christina’s strong spirit.
The director of the Museum of Modern Art enjoyed this artwork so much that he purchased it for 1800 dollars at the time when it was rather underestimated by the critics, not to say undermined it (Puchko, n.d., para. 8). Today, it is one of the most frequently visited exhibits in the museum, and many people visit it to see this painting. The Olson house depicted in Christina’s World has been on the Register of Historic Places since 1995.
Time of Creation and Public Moods
Christina’s World is an artwork that embodies the widespread ideas of the mid-20-th century. Isolation, the feeling of being lost due to various reasons, confronting the reality, and the idea that reality in which one inevitably has to face many problems is unfortunate and unsatisfactory become the salient features.
The interpretation of the painting pertaining to the post-war years is an important aspect of unlocking the symbols of the artwork. The feeling of emptiness and perplexity felt by those who lost someone in the war is expressed by the open landscape with a house on the horizon.
It is the idea of the distance between some persons dear to each other that makes the painting so melancholy. Christina’s pose reflecting the hopelessness of her misunderstood and undiagnosed condition, as well as her face that the viewer cannot see, can show us the world from her perspective or even from the perspective of all disabled and suffering people because they either lost loved one or would never have the possibilities equal to healthy people.
The ideas of distance and isolation from the society are conveyed by adding the element of the harsh truth: the more isolated one is due to a variety of reasons, the more hurting one finds the reality. Christina’s figure is a reminder of human disabilities in the broad sense of this word: disappointments, harsh truth, isolation, and a feeling of being lost in the field of one’s reality are relevant for any person regardless of their health condition. Seeing the inaccessible version of this reality in front of a person, they, apparently, feel miserable and sad. The limits imposed on a person by the drastic health conditions or by the war tragedy are as vivid as are the details in the discussed artwork.
Thus, the social value expressed by the painting is evident. Primarily, Wyeth emphasizes the place the disabled occupy in society. More often than not, the overwhelming feeling of isolation is a companion of people with limited opportunities. Experiencing pain from being unable to explore one’s full potential and to do everything a human being can usually do leads to frustration and depression. The importance of adjusting the rules of society to those with limited possibilities due to their health condition is essential for a compassionate and humane community. In the context of the post-war society, it was the task of primary importance. Thus, Christina’s World reflected the atmosphere of that epoch.
Meaning
The meaning of this piece of art created in 1948 extends beyond a sad story of a person with a muscle degeneration condition. The initial interpretation of the painting pertains to the idea of significant limits imposed on a human being due to the health condition as destructive as the one Christina had (Potter, 2006). This idea is also conveyed by the contrast between an open-spaced landscape and the helpless pose of the woman.
The openness of the landscape with the house on the horizon is a symbol of all the possibilities Christina lost due to her illness. The condition she suffered from was undiagnosed at those times, and the woman knew she was doomed to this disability (Potter, 2006, p. 878).
Because we cannot see Christina’s face, it might symbolize all people who suffer from similar conditions. In other words, the hidden face of a particular person might be a generalization of all people with disabilities who lack certain possibilities in their lives due to their illness. Wyeth once admitted that if he had decided to paint this work again, he would have done it without depicting any human form (Fischer, 1994, p. 329). This means that, while Christina Olson’s story was an original inspiration for the painter, the overall idea of the artwork extended beyond this particular story. The work was to present an image of all those in pain.
From another point of view, the artwork could be meant to transfer the feeling of being lost after the atrocities of the World War II. Obviously, the tragic events affected people, and the impact lingered. As Christina’s World was painted three years after the end of the war, the overall atmosphere of isolation of the painting vividly expresses the idea of the years lost in the struggle and the images of the loved ones lost in battles. The feeling of emptiness typical of post-war societies could be one of the messages Wyeth meant to convey.
Genre
Christina’s World belongs to a genre of realism as it portrays the countryside landscape in a realistic way and draws viewers’ attention to the details. While the surroundings look familiar, the woman lying in the grass is in a pose which gives ground to suggest that she is crawling. Her position makes a viewer wonder whether there is a symbolic dimension to the painting. Therefore, Christina’s World could be categorized as a painting in the genre of realism with certain elements of symbolism.
According to Fischer (1994), Wyeth is often considered to be a representational artist (p. 326). Due to the clarity of details, his paintings have a photographic quality. However, they not only resemble the reality but also “orchestrate” it in a way (Fischer, 1994, p. 326). As a result, they provide viewers with the opportunity to see the artist’s interpretation, ideas, and images conveyed by the artwork.
Technique and Materials
Egg tempera is the technique Wyeth used to paint Christina’s World (Puchko, n.d., para. 6). He admitted that the major reason why he wanted to master the tempera was the discipline required for this technique (Fischer, 1994, p. 335). It is explained by the fact that this technique demands a careful and thorough control of the process of paint mixing. Many sketches of Christina’s arms and legs were made before the actual painting (Duggan, n.d., para. 6).
The painter used egg yolk as a binding method for the pigment instead of oil (Andrew Wyeth: Christina’s World, n.d., para. 5). It is admitted that this technique is rather time-consuming and demanding. Nevertheless, it allowed Wyeth to convey the melancholy that could be interpreted in manifold ways.
The Significance of Studying Christina’s World
Aside from the fact that this piece of art is valuable from the artistic point of view, it is necessary to study it for many other reasons. It is important to reexamine the place of a human being in the world vis-à-vis the innovations of the modern society. As the world changes throughout the years, the human environment has also altered. The place a person occupies in the world may become unclear, confusing, and barely justified.
What if the disabled and the ones who lost their loved ones in the world are not the only types of people that will eventually suffer from a feeling of isolation? Even though the painting depicts Christina Olson who suffered from a misunderstood condition with muscle degeneration, it is also the symbol of all those who are in need of compassion, support, direction, and empowerment. Wyeth admitted he would have painted it differently if he had had the chance.
In this regard, it is a captivating idea to perceive this piece of art as a message that has been developing over the years. The meaning conveyed in Christina’s World points to the critical condition of humanity throughout the ages. It is crucial for the present-day researchers and ordinary people to study this artwork because it may help orientate oneself and indicate the place of a human being in relation to other individuals, the society, and the world community.
Conclusion
Christina’s World by Andrew Wyeth is a painting in the genre of realism. This unique artwork addresses many important issues of the day including social isolation, the disabled people and their emotions and fate, and the feeling of being lost and perplexed by the disappointing and hurtful reality. It is relevant in terms of not only individuals who suffer from physical disabilities but also all people, especially those who saw the Second World War and experienced its horrors.
The painting shows the importance of determining the place of a human being in the patchwork of the global community, as well as in social relations on the local scale. On the present stage of development, it is still important to study this piece of art in order to understand one’s place. Christina’s World gives many opportunities to think about the eternal questions and the development of the today’s world.
References
Andrew Wyeth: Christina’s World. (n.d.).
Duggan, B. The world behind Wyeth’s Christina’s World. (n.d.).
Esaak, S. An in-depth look at Christina’s World. (n.d.). Web.
Fischer, C. T. (1994). Individualizing psychological assessment. Hillsdale, NJ: Psychology Press.
Freitag, W. M. (2013). Art books: A basic bibliography of monographs on artists. New York, NY: Routledge.
Hoptman, L. (2012). Wyeth: Christina’s World. New York, NY: Museum of Modern Art.
Potter, P. (2006). On the threshold of illness and emotional isolation. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 12(5), 878-890.
Puchko, K. Fifteen things you might not know about Christina’s World. (n.d.).
Souter, G. (2012). American realism. New York, NY: Parkstone International.