Wyeth settled in Chadds Ford in 1907, where he later built a house and studio that are now part of the Brandywine Museum of Art and open seasonally to the public. Wyeth explored various styles and mastered techniques which range from the broadly brushed to the near photographic. In every area, he proved himself to be an expert draughtsman and colorist. Wyeth also enjoyed a reputation as a muralist and painted advertising images. His private work includes still lifes, portraits and landscapes of Chadds Ford as well as his summer property in Port Clyde, Maine. To escape what he felt were the pejorative connotations of being merely an illustrator, Wyeth sought recognition in other spheres of art. Wyeth was sought after for book and magazine commissions throughout his career at the same time, however, and like most illustrators of the period, he was troubled by the distinction made between illustrators and artists. Ten years later-with a series of “Scribner’s Classics” to his credit-Wyeth was as famous as the authors whose stories he illustrated. Skillfully blending romance and realism into his pictures, he gave form to Stevenson’s characters and settings, creating vivid, dramatic images. In 1911, the publisher Charles Scribner’s Sons commissioned Wyeth to illustrate a new edition of Treasure Island. Pyle’s influence was a vital catalyst, and after several years of study, Wyeth quickly became one of the period’s most popular magazine illustrators. In 1902, twenty-year-old Newell Convers Wyeth, from Needham, Massachusetts, joined the Howard Pyle School of Art in Wilmington, Delaware. His renowned images of swashbuckling pirates, armor-clad knights and hard-riding cowboys fired the imaginations of readers for generations.

Wyeth (1882-1945) was one of America’s foremost illustrators in the 20th century.

Seal, courtesy of the Wyeth Family Archives Seal, courtesy of the Wyeth Family Archives N.

Andrew wyeth artist