What is the setting of Christina's World?
Andrew Wyeth Christina's World 1948. Set in the stark landscape of coastal Maine, Christina’s World depicts a young woman seen from behind, wearing a pink dress and lying in a grassy field.
Who is Christina in “Christina’s World?
Andrew Wyeth’s Christina’s World provides ample ground for speculation. Who is Christina, and why is her world filled with mystery and nostalgia? Andrew Wyeth is remembered as one of the most influential and talented artists of the North American art scene.
What kind of painting is Christina's World?
Christina's World. Christina's World is a 1948 painting by American painter Andrew Wyeth and one of the best-known American paintings of the middle 20th century. It is a tempera work done in a realist style, depicting a woman lying on the ground in a treeless, mostly tawny field, looking up at a gray house on the horizon;
Is Christina's World a National Historic Landmark?
It is a National Historic Landmark and has been restored to match its appearance in the painting, [5] [6] [7] although Wyeth separated the house from its barn and changed the lay of the land for the painting. Christina's World was first exhibited at the Macbeth Gallery in Manhattan in 1948. [8]
Where is the original Christina's world?
Christina's WorldYear1948MediumEgg tempera on gessoed panelDimensions81.9 cm × 121.3 cm (321⁄4 in × 473⁄4 in)LocationMuseum of Modern Art, New York City2 more rows
Is Christina's world at MoMA?
Wyeth often said: "I paint my life." One of the best-known images in 20th-century American art is his painting Christina's World, currently in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. This work executed in tempera was painted in 1948 when Wyeth was 31 years old.
What floor is Christina's world on?
Floor 5, 520Andrew Wyeth, 1948. Christina's World. Tempera on panel. MoMA, Floor 5, 520.
What is the story behind Christina's world painting?
Wyeth's neighbor Anna Christina Olson inspired the composition, which is one of four paintings by Wyeth in which she appears. As a young girl, Olson developed a degenerative muscle condition—possibly polio—that left her unable to walk.
Is the book a piece of the world a true story?
A Piece of the World is the absorbing fictionalized backstory of Christina Olson, the subject of the painting. Kline is not the first novelist to base his/her novel on an actual painting or work of art.
Where are Andrew Wyeth's paintings?
National Academy of DesignNew YorkThe Museum of Modern ArtNew YorkSmithsonian American Art MuseumWashington, D.C.Andrew Wyeth/On view
What disease does Christina have in a piece of the world?
It's a memorable and well-loved work for many art lovers. It's also a particularly special painting for those affected by Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT). Experts believe that Christina Olson, Wyeth's neighbor and the real-life inspiration for the lady in pink who appears in the painting, was probably a CMTer.
What is tempera technique?
tempera painting, painting executed with pigment ground in a water-miscible medium. The word tempera originally came from the verb temper, “to bring to a desired consistency.” Dry pigments are made usable by “tempering” them with a binding and adhesive vehicle.
Where is Betsy Wyeth buried?
Christina Olson's family cemeteryBeautiful tribute to honor Betsy Wyeth's life of wonders. So good to know from granddaughter Victoria that Betsy will be buried beside Andrew at Christina Olson's family cemetery.
Where did Van Gogh paint Starry Night?
the Saint-Paul asylumVan Gogh was seeking respite from plaguing depression at the Saint-Paul asylum in Saint-Rémy in southern France when he painted The Starry Night. It reflects his direct observations of his view of the countryside from his window as well as the memories and emotions this view evoked in him.
Who bought Christina's World?
By Christina Baker KlineUpdated January 20, 2020, 3:00 a.m. In 1948, the Museum of Modern Art bought the painting “Christina's World” from the artist Andrew Wyeth for $1,800. Along with Andy Warhol's “Campbell's Soup Cans” and Vincent van Gogh's “The Starry Night,” it is one of MoMA's most enduringly popular paintings.
What is the painting in the movie Oblivion?
The painting on the wall showing a woman in a wheat field is titled "Christina's World" and was painted by the American artist Andrew Wyeth in 1948. The woman is based upon a real person who had been partially paralyzed due to polio. Wyeth was inspired to create this art when he saw her crawling across the field.
What is Andrew Wyeth's best known painting?
Christina's WorldAndrew Wyeth's favorite subjects were the land and people around him, both around his hometown of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, and his summer home in Midcoast Maine. He is perhaps best-known for his painting Christina's World (1948), currently in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.
What did Andrew Wyeth use to create Christina's World?
Over the next three decades, Wyeth had full access to the Olson House and even had a small work studio on the second floor from where, in the summer of 1948, he saw Christina crawling through her fields, giving way to the creation of Christina's World.
What elements of art are in Christina's World?
Using color, line, and space, Andrew Wyeth paints a piece that captures the nostalgic dullness of rural life, yet imbues it with event and intrigue. The tension between the two themes adds narrative to what could have otherwise been a simple landscape.
What disease did Anna Christina Olson have?
She had a degenerative muscular disorder that took away her ability to walk by the late 1920s.
What medium did Wyeth use to paint the farmhouse?
Wyeth painted in egg tempera, a medium that requires the artist to mix (and constantly monitor) his own paints but allows for great control.
Why was Christina's World so critical?
"Christina's World" was met with little critical notice after its completion, mainly because: The abstract expressionists were making most of the art news of the time. The founding director of the Museum of Modern Art, Alfred Barr, snapped it up almost immediately for $1,800.
Where is Andrew Wyeth's memorial?
The last exception was to an Andrew Wyeth memorial show at the Brandywine River Museum in his native town of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania. More telling is how large a part "Christina's World" plays in popular culture. Writers, filmmakers, and other visual artists reference it, and the public has always loved it.
Who painted Christina's world?
Andrew Wyeth painted "Christina's World" in 1948. His father, N.C. Wyeth had been killed at a railway crossing just three years earlier, and Andrew's work underwent a significant change after the loss. His palette became muted, his landscapes barren, and his figures seemed plaintive. "Christina's World" epitomizes these traits and conveys ...
Who was Wyeth's wife?
The three were introduced by Wyeth's future wife, Betsy James (b. c. 1922), another long-term summer resident. It's hard to say what fired the young artist's imagination more: the Olson siblings or their residence. Christina appears in several of the artist's paintings.
Who is the model in the Olson farmhouse?
The youthful head and torso, however, belong to Betsy Wyeth, who was then in her mid-20s (as opposed to Christina's then-mid-50s). The most famous model in this scene is the Olson farmhouse itself, which was built in the late 18th century, and is still standing and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.
What is the Farnsworth Museum?
The Farnsworth Museum continues to restore and preserve the Olson House with period appropriate architectural salvage and reclaimed lumber. Remilled old growth white pine beams and rafters from a 19th century Boston structure were used to restore the Olson home's exterior.
What does Wyeth say about old houses?
Some say that old houses take on the personalities of their owners, but Wyeth knew something more. "In the portraits of that house, the windows are eyes or pieces of the soul, almost," he said years later. "To me, each window is a different part of Christina's life."
Where is Hathorn Point in Maine?
Hathorn Point in South Cushing, Maine . In the remote town of South Cushing in Maine, a stark, weather-beaten farmhouse sits on the east side of Hathorn Point Road, on a grassy rise overlooking the St. George River and the distant sea. In summer the grass might be a close-cut emerald green and a row of pines fringes the horizon, ...
Who was John Olson married to?
Two of their children, Christina and Alvaro, lived all their lives in what is now called the Olson House. A young Andrew Wyeth, who had summered in Maine as a boy, was introduced to the Olsons by Betsy, a local girl who would become Andrew's wife. Wyeth sketched both Alvara and Christina while in Maine, but it's the 1948 painting that people remember.
Who was the polio crippled olson?
From 1939 to 1968 Andrew Wyeth was inspired to draw and paint the house, objects related to its occupants, and the occupants themselves — the polio-crippled Christina Olson (1893-1968) and her brother, Alvaro Olson (1894-1967). The Olson were the children of John Olson and Kate Hathorn, whose great-grandfather built the house in Maine.
Where did the Hathorns live?
The Hathorns, a seafaring family from Salem, Massachusetts, originally built a log cabin on the property before the Captain upscaled to a framed construction. In 1871, Captain Samuel Hathorn IV replaced the old hip roof with a pitched roof and added several bedrooms on the third floor.
Is Olson House on the National Register?
The Olson House has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1995. The property is significant not for its architecture but for its association with the events and people who have contributed to our cultural history — American artist Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009) and his paintings.
Where is Christina's world in 2001?
Clarke's novel 2001: A Space Odyssey, Christina's World is one of the two paintings (the other one being Vincent van Gogh 's Bridge at Arles) hanging on the living room wall of "an elegant, anonymous hotel suite" to which the astronaut David Bowman is transported after passing through the Star Gate.
What does the title Christina's World mean?
The title Christina’s World, courtesy of Wyeth’s wife, indicates that the painting is more a psychological landscape than a portrait, a portrayal of a state of mind rather than a place.
Where was Christina's world first exhibited?
Christina's World was first exhibited at the Macbeth Gallery in Manhattan in 1948. It received little attention from critics at the time, but Alfred Barr, the founding director of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), bought the painting for $1,800. He promoted it at MoMA and it gradually grew in popularity over the years.
Who painted Christina's world?
More ... Christina's World is a 1948 painting by American painter Andrew Wyeth and one of the best-known American paintings of the middle 20th century. It is a tempera work done in a realist style, depicting a woman semi-reclining on the ground in a treeless, mostly tawny field, looking up at a gray house on the horizon;
What disease did Anna Christina Olson have?
Suffering from a degenerative muscular disease, Christina was unable to walk. Wyeth said that she was "limited physically but by no means spiritually" and that "the challenge was to do justice ...
What is Christina's gift?
No matter your age and ability, Ms. Christina has a gift for bringing out your inner happiness and talent through music, dance, and fellowship. She makes learning to dance fun, memorable and a pleasant experience!
When did Christina start her dance world?
She also danced professionally for the Siegfried & Roy Show in Las Vegas for five years before opening Christina’s Dance World in 1999. Christina has the gift of teaching all styles of dance to all ages. She is patient, kind and relays her knowledge of dance with love and integrity.
Why is the Olson house similar to Monet's garden?
The Olson house has won comparisons to Monet's garden at Giverny because of the plethora of paintings and sketches it inspired. In the 30 years from their first meeting to Christina's death, Wyeth created over 300 works at the Olson house, thanks to the Olsons allowing him to use their home as his studio.
What did Anna Christina Olson suffer from?
Anna Christina Olson suffered from a degenerative muscular disorder that prevented her from walking. Rather than using a wheelchair, Olson crawled around her home and the surrounding grounds, as seen in Christina's World . 2. Olson's spirit inspired Wyeth's most popular piece.
How old was Betsy James when she met Wyeth?
The neighbors first met in 1939 when Wyeth was just 22 and courting 17-year-old Betsy James, who would later become his wife and muse. It was James who introduced to Wyeth to the 45-year-old Olson, kicking off a friendship that would last the rest of their lives. The sight of Olson picking blueberries while crawling through her fields “like a crab on a New England shore” inspired Wyeth to paint Christina’s World .
How old was Wyeth when he asked his wife to sit in as a model for the head and?
But Wyeth asked his then 26-year-old wife to sit in as a model for the head and torso. 5. Christina's World was one of several paintings Wyeth did of Olson. She was a recurring muse and model for Wyeth, captured in paintings like Miss Olson, Christina Olson, and Anna Christina. 6.
What was the name of the painting that Wyeth described as a flat tire?
7. Wyeth was initially unhappy with Christina's World. Though it would become his best-known work and an icon of American art, Christina's World was described by Wyeth as “ a complete flat tire ” when he sent it off to the Macbeth Gallery for a show in 1948.
Where is Andrew Wyeth buried?
Wyeth is buried near his painting's birthplace. Down the hill from the Olson house lies a cemetery, where Andrew Wyeth's grave can be found in the family plot of Alvaro and Anna Christina Olson. Wyeth's tombstone faces up toward the house at an angle that closely resembles that of Christina's World.
What is Christina's favorite color?
Christina's World remained her favorite to the end. Once when I asked her why, she simply smiled and said, 'You know pink is my favorite color.' 'But you're wearing a flowered pink dress in Miss Olson and holding a kitten.
