Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Farnsworth & the Olson House

Our visit to Maine last week included a day visiting the Farnsworth Art Museum in Rockland. This gem of a museum houses a good Louise Nevelson collection as well as an outdoor sculpture garden with several by Robert Indiana. He was a penpal of mine about 30 years ago!


Here's Richard through an Indiana multi-love sculpture...


...and me through the other lens.


The Farnsworth also features an entire building, a renovated church, devoted to the art of Andrew Wyeth.


Inside we saw the workup sketches for Christina's World, perhaps Wyeth's most famous work, as well as a collection of his father, N. C. Wyeth's illustrations for children's books.


A companion entry fee also lets you tour the Olson House, where Andrew Wyeth spent 30 years painting. It's pretty tricky to find, about 10 miles away from the Farnsworth but when you come upon it, it's pretty astonishing.


There are always red geraniums in the kitchen window as they were Christina's favourites.


The rooms are spare and many of them almost empty except for a chair or fresh flowers on the windowsill.


Except for Christina's bedroom which still has her rocking horse and crib.


The light in the house was remarkable.


The floors had lots of stories to tell.


Reflecting light was wonderful.


We also headed over to the Olson cemetery where Christina and her brother are buried. Andrew Wyeth requested he be buried there too.


Many people left markers of their visit.


Richard and I left one on Andrew Wyeth's grave to say we had passed that way.


And of course, being totally ridiculous, I posed as Christina for a version of Ronna's World. Couldn't help myself.

5 comments:

  1. What a great trip you had! And boy, he lived a long life.

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  2. Thank you for sharing your photos of your trip. I've liked Wyeth's work, but now I feel I need to research it a bit more.

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  3. Wonderful photos.. looks like a great museum. You're lucky to have gone there!

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  4. Thanks for the tour. I've always loved Wyeth's paintings and your photos have the same atmosphere.

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  5. Love "Ronna's World." You should make your own painting of it!

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