International Art Treasures Web Magazine

October  2004  

• This Issue
• Subscribe
• Advertisers
• Ad FAQS
• Ad Web Sites
• About IAT
• Link to IAT

Andrew Wyeth & Helga

Title: Braids, 1979
Artist: Andrew Wyeth
Medium: Tempera on Masonite
© AM Art, Inc
Image Courtesy: The Mint Museums

The Subject

Helga Testorf, neighbor to Andrew Wyeth, sat for over 240 works produced by the noted American Artist. These works span fourteen years beginning in 1971. The changing seasons, and the changes in Helga, were all captured in the famous Helga Pictures. Helga was a German immigrant to Pennsylvania. Her family worked for Wyeth's neighbor Karl Kuener.

Wyeth told no one of these works during their creation. It wasn't really public until 1986 via a Time magazine feature. The artist was impressed with the stamina of his subject. His autobiography declares "Helga poses non-stop. I'd get tried but she'd say, 'Hey I'm not at all tired. Keep going!"

Title: Crown of Flowers, 1973
Artist: Andrew Wyeth
Medium: Dry Brush on Paper
© AM Art, Inc
Image Courtesy: The Mint Museums

The Artist

Andrew Wyeth is the youngest child of N. C. Wyeth, the artist and illustrator of Kidnapped, Robin Hood, The Last of the Mohicans and Robinson Crusoe. His father's work was bold and brilliant, depicting adventures of literary heroes. The son's style is understated, honing in on the quiet characteristics of his subjects family, friends and even Presidents.

Farm Road, part of this exhibit, is an example of the quiet serene Wyeth style. Helga is alone, facing away from the viewer, surrounded by a vast landscape that is both strong and inherently lonely.

Title: Farm Road, 1979
Artist: Andrew Wyeth
Medium: Tempera on Masonite
© AM Art, Inc
Image Courtesy: The Mint Museums

The Exhibit

Andrew Wyeth: The Helga Pictures
October 16 through January 9, 2005
The Mint Museums
Charlotte, North Carolina

The Helga Pictures will conclude its national tour of the USA with its final showing at the Mint Museums. This is a wonderful chance to view not only the works of one of American's masters but his depiction of the same subject, a woman, throughout a 14 year span.

Andrew Wyeth: The Helga Pictures provides insight not only into the artist but into the subject, the landscape and of course questions abound why did both keep these works a secret for so long and how did they manage to do it while the works were in progress? We may never know quite how they managed this feat of artistic magic but we can certainly enjoy the products of their collaboration!