Andrew Wyeth's Studio and the Brandywine River Museum

Our month-long stay along the Brandywine River has given us a chance to explore familiar places in new ways.  For example, before we started RV'ing full-time in 2012, it wasn't possible to tour Andrew Wyeth's studio.  However, when we scheduled a visit to the Brandywine River Museum this week, we discovered that tours are offered of Wyeth's home and studio, which originally was a schoolhouse.

The unpretentious building sits at the foot of a small hill near the Museum:

The building was originally fitted out as a home for Andrew's older sister and her husband, New Mexico artist Peter Heard.  When Andrew and Betsy were married, they moved in, and for some years it served as both home and studio.  Eventually, the couple moved to another home up the Brandywine River, but Andrew continued to work out of this studio.

He valued his privacy, as can be seen from this notice on the studio door:

The Brandywine Conservancy, which operates and maintains the Museum and studio, has attempted to preserve the interior rooms of the studio as they were used by the Wyeths. The kitchen had a huge fireplace and was sparsely decorated.  According to our guide, Andrew's latest painting would often hang over the fireplace:

The room most publicly known as his studio actually was not used as a studio by Andrew, but rather as a room for hosting guests and small group events.  Andrew's son Jamie eventually occupied a corner of the large room, as shown below on the left:

Over the fireplace in this room hung a copy of the N.C. Wyeth painting, "Old Pew," which Jamie remembered as being quite scary to him and his brother when they were trying to do their schoolwork at a table below:

Here is a photo of the corner of the large room Jamie occupied as his studio:

Jamie's corner is filled with copies of studies he did for a portrait of John F. Kennedy.  A copy of the final portrait can be seen in the mirror below, with Kathy (and David in motion) admiring its reflection:

Andrew's own studio was a separate, smaller room, lit bright by a huge window.  It was a study in barely-contained chaos which our guide reported represented the way Andrew normally worked:

Here is a view of Andrew's work space from a slightly different angle:

This window gave the room its bright character.  What painter wouldn't want such great light to work by?

The room was furnished with copies of Wyether's "Coon Dog" painting and various studies he did to prepare for that work.  Here, again, Kathy reflects upon the painting:

Anyone who appreciates Andrew Wyeth's work or life knows how extensive and complex the story is.  The Brandywine River Museum gift shop stocks an excellent documentary titled, "Andrew Wyeth Self Portrait: Snow Hill," produced by his wife, which explores his life and work and illustrates the stories richly with his paintings and old family videos and photographs.  Anyone who wants to understand the people and texture of Pennsylvania colonial farm country should study Wyeth and his work, for his paintings touch on deep, indescribable emotions that are rooted in the countryside and culture.