Illustrator or Artist? N.C. Wyeth

"Above the Sea of Round, Shiny Backs the Thin Loops Swirled and Shot into Volumes of Dust."

                                     N.C. Wyeth (1882-1944)

120 Great Paintings of the American West. Dover Publications. Minola, New, York

Illustrator or artist?  The question plagued N.C. all his life.  He is best known as the illustrator of children's classics such as Treasure Island and others. The more he succeeded as an illustrator, the more he was troubled by self-doubt.  "every piece of or work that I turn out is a pain to me because I can see clearly that it is inferior to that great thing that might be done." This quote from the biography, N.C. Wyeth, a biography by David Michaelis.

After reading this biography and seeing more of N.C.'s paintings, I see him as a great artist and will post more of his work in the weeks to come.  The Denver Art Museum is currently exhibiting work by his son, Andrew Wyeth and grandson, Jamie Wyeth.  I don't know of any other American family of artists quite like the Wyeths.  

For a complete description of the difference between illustrators and artists, a fellow blogger, illustrationart.blogspot.com  explains this fully. But you have to look at his October 5, 2011 post.   Thank you!

Paintings of the American West, continued. Merry Christmas! December 25, 2015

             The Peacemaker by Ernest Blumenschein

Dover Publications, Inc. Minola, New York.  120 Great Paintings of the American West

Continuing to feature Art of the American West, this painting by Ernest Blumenschein, 1913 depicts two warring chiefs with a symbolic peacemaker in the foreground.  Did this painting symbolize the conflict in Europe?  It was thought that the small child represented the uncertain future of both the Indian nations and the world at large.

Mr. Blumenschein was a part of the Taos, New Mexico  Society of Artists (see my previous blog, under "T," Ernest Blumenschein is the artist on the left in the photo. There are many, many references to him on the web and several books are available.  The Taos artists as they painted the Native Americans, became involved in the Native's struggles to maintain their culture and independence.

To end this turbulent year, I thought this painting was appropriate.  "Blessed are the Peacemakers. . . ."

W is for one of the last letters of the Alphabet. April Challenge to finish in December.

             On the October Trail (a Navajo family, 1908)

                                    N.C. Wyeth (1842-1944)

Paintings of the American West, Dover Publications, Mineoal, New York

N.C. Wyeth, the patriarch of an American family of artists. N.C. was an illustrator, if any of you remember his illustrations of Treasure Island, Robinson Crusoe, and other children's classics. 

More to write about this amazing family, but in shorter passages in the future, as I carefully use the keyboard again.

After 5 months of non-blogging, I am back but having to learn all 

the techniques again. I missed my blogging friends very much. Overuse injuries take a long time to heal.