ARH 2051 History and Criticism of Art II
- Jiyeong Mun
- Aug 2, 2021
- 2 min read
Updated: Sep 3, 2021
Interpreting an Issue Through a Modern or Contemporary Artwork
Andrew Wyeth’s 1963 dry brush and watercolor painting, Day of the Fair, confronts racism through pictorial means. The figure on the paint is fourteen-year-old Cathy Hunt, who is dressed up for the annual May Fair at the Chadds Ford Public School. One can see a girl sitting on the chair with her back against the wall on the drawing. The picture refers to the painter’s experience living in the village communities in Maine and Pennsylvania states, which he often reflected in his artworks. The Day of the Fair picture is in the Seattle Art Museum. The first half of the twentieth century was characterized by significant issues that concerned society in art. Several artists, notably Wyeth, also raised the topic of racism. This is significant because artworks that addressed racism began to depict a fuller view of reality since the voices of the oppressed people were starting to be heard. Day of the Fair by Andrew Wyeth is painting in a social realist style. It addresses class inequality and more pressing problems of racism, ethnicity, and cultural subordination.
Fig. 1. Day of the Fair, 1963
Andrew Wyeth
Drybrush and Watercolor
37.8 × 50.2 cm
Seattle Art Museum
Bibliography
“Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009).” The Women Gallery, March 18, 2020. https://thewomangallery.com/andrew-wyeth-1917-2009/.
“Andrew Wyeth (American 1917–2009) ‘Frozen Wash.’” Freeman's Auction. Accessed April 15, 2021. https://www.freemansauction.com/auction/lot/lot-89-andrew-wyeth-american-19172009/?lot=552041&so=0&st=&sto=0&au=4864&ef=&et=&ic=False&sd=1&pp=96&pn=1&g=1.
“Andrew Wyeth: Day of the Fair (1963).” Artsy. Accessed April 3, 2021. https://www.artsy.net/artwork/andrew-wyeth-day-of-the-fair.
Loos, Ted. “Unclothed in Andrew Wyeth's Art.” The New York Times. The New York Times, June 16, 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/16/arts/design/unclothed-in-andrew-wyeths-art.html.
Schwartzman, Rich. “Chadds Ford Days Are Back.” Chadds Ford Live, August 28, 2019. https://chaddsfordlive.com/2019/08/28/chadds-ford-days-are-back/.
Wyeth, Betsy James. “Introduction.” Essay. In Andrew Wyeth: Close Friends, 2001.
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