Andrew Wyeth: A Secret Life – The Definitive Biography Revealing the Turbulent Obsession Behind an Iconic American Realist Painter

All the illustrations and photos are a pale, pale gray (imagine fog, or cigarette smoke). Faces are indistinct, details are too blurry to make out. Is my book a misprint?

As a long time admirer of the work of Andrew Wyeth, for some forty years, I wanted to read more about the life of the artist before visiting the Brandywine Museum so as to be better informed before my visit. This very detailed biography is very clearly written by a veteran journalist. It covers many details of where and why many of the pictures were created, including many family matters that influenced the personal and artistic choices as well as clarifying the many personality quirks of the artist.Insights into the strong personalities of both his father, illustrator N. C. Wyeth, and his wife, Betsy Wyeth, give one some understanding of the somewhat cryptic, mercurial and secretive personality that was able to sit for months, developing and painting his very personal images. Also of interest was discussion of the process of arriving at the final composition. A major important step in the process for Andrew Wyeth seems to have been to reduce, distill, or simplify an image to its bare essentials; in some cases this meant painting out figures that had been included in the original plan.Many artists are not fortunate to have careers that span seventy some years. Unfortunately, Wyeth endured a long period after the 1960's where, largely due to the unfavorable and often self-serving comments of "professional" art critics, his critical reputation suffered in the popular and professional art media. However, it was heartening to learn that Wyeth remained popular with the public, who remained loyal and showed up in large numbers throughout his lifetime. I doubt I will ever take seriously the comments of art critics in the future.There are many color plates in this book, some too small to experience the detail, although useful in identifying the image. Some of the pictures referred to in this book were unfamiliar to me, were either unpictured in this volume, or pictured in black and white, thereby stimulating additional interest. I have read several additional coffee table type books of his exhibitions, greatly expanding my knowledge of Wyeth's work.While many of the exhibit catalogs have some biographical information, none of the 6-7 books I have now read on Andrew Wyeth is as complete as this biography. The other most useful book I have read is, "An American Vision: Three Generations of Wyeth Art: N.C. Wyeth, Andrew Wyeth, Jamie Wyeth"

This book, without a doubt, is one of the most atmospheric and emotional biographies I have ever read. Quite wisely, the author provides granular details and fascinating bits of dialog; and as a result we are steeped in a deep knowledge of Wyeth, his family, his well-known subjects/models, his landscapes, seascapes, tumble-down ram shackles, windswept farms, barren beaches, and more. We benefit from Wyeth's own words about his work and process.......and we are also introduced to those around him that were so influential. Suffice it to say, the Wyeths are a complex family; full of contradictions and layers of some-might-say eccentricity. But, in this author's hands, all of this becomes fascinating revealing compostas he remains true to his mission as a biographer. He doesn't judge -- he respects both the subject and the reader. As I read, I began to give thought to how imperfection is such a compelling factor -- not only in a work of art, but in a life. I so enjoyed learning the real story/back story of some of the most noted Wyeth paintings. These quotes and stories literally opened new doors in my thought process about Wyeth's work and why Ihave appreciated it for decades. Best of all, this book never attempts to "explain" -- but, rather, it reveals and illuminates. Excellent. (reproductions in the book are beautifully presented, in many cases they are full-color, full-bleed across the spread. )

This book is well written and offers a lot of insight into the man and the artist. I bought the gorgeous coffee table book, Andrew Wyeth: Memory and Magic to accompany my read and it was great to have beautiful plates to accompany the biography (which also has images)

The book was interesting and an easy read. The plates were nicely done. I would have also purchased it as an ebook for ease of reading since I have arthritis and holding a heavy book is sometimes difficult: however, the paperback had well done photos.

One of the best biographies of an artist I have read in a long time. Helga was a very important part of his life and also of other members of the Wyeth family. Sometimes a person will walk in and take over the life of an artist or writer. Helga was that someone. Her loyaty to the whole Wyeth family and taking care of Andy in his final years when he was so sick, and also his artist sister Carolyn who I grew to love through the pages.What shocked me more then anything was the greed of art dealers and museums..Andy had little knowledge of the deals that were being made for his Helga paintings.. These transactions "screwed" him out of millions of dollars. I call it legalized robbery.. I know this practice is common in the art world but it surprises me he was so unaware of it. Money was not important to him, but to be robbed by people he thought were his friends was a bitter blow.The death of his father and Karl Keurner were bitter blows I dont think he ever fully recovered from. I view Helga as a guardian angel, in fact he called her one several times. Without Helga he would have never have had the will to go on.I have read and re read this excellent biography of a complex man several times and it will always be in my collection.

Just perfect to help me better understand this artist and his evolution through a look at his personal experience.

Excellent product. Well wrapped and delivered on time.

Superb

Gives a good insight of his life and passion including some intrigues.