American Art and Pennsylvania Impressionists

This work will be included in the database of the artist's work being compiled by the Wyeth Center at the William A. Farnsworth Museum, Rockland, Maine.

Provenance:

James Graham & Sons, New York, New York.

Acquired directly from the above.

Private Collection, Pennsylvania.

Exhibited:

Rockland, The Wyeth Center at the Farnsworth Art Museum, "Gulls, Ravens and a Vulture: The Ornithological Paintings of James Wyeth," June 26 – October 10, 2005, p. 66, fig. 57, illustrated.

Lot Note:

Immensely indebted to the narrative art of his grandfather N. C. and the realist aesthetic of his father Andrew, Jamie Wyeth has nonetheless crafted a pictorial language wholly his own, one that renders the world around him not simply as it appears but reaches its primal core with an eerily disquieting effect.

For Raven Pair (1998), Wyeth was likely inspired by the January 1998 snowstorm that blanketed Maine, his long-time home state, bringing the area to a standstill. The work consists of two black birds occupying the lower half of the composition, as if slowly but confidently passing through, against a uniform icy white backdrop. The birds are portrayed half-length, showcasing their long, sharp beaks, intensely alert eyes, and scapular feathers, their wings rendered shoulder-like. The ravens look determined as they seem to march across the canvas, as if on a mysterious quest, unfazed by the bitter cold around them. As they are subtly anthropomorphized, unsettling elements seep through the apparent realism.

The haunting atmosphere of the scene is also conveyed by the stark contrast between the bright, abstract wintry conditions and the dark, detailed bodies of the birds. The work is shrouded in a sense of brooding and foreboding, an ominous feeling typically associated with the figure of the raven. The birds’ stance, at once avian-like and uncannily human, commands the composition, compelling the viewer into an all-absorbing interaction with nature, abolishing the familiar distance between the observed and the observer.

Framed: 23 x 27 x 2 in.

The physical condition of lots in our auctions can vary due to age, normal wear and tear, previous damage, and restoration/repair. All lots are sold "AS IS," in the condition they are in at the time of the auction, and we and the seller make no representation or warranty and assume no liability of any kind as to a lot's condition. Any reference to condition in a catalogue description or a condition report shall not amount to a full accounting of condition. Condition reports prepared by Freeman's staff are provided as a convenience and may be requested from the Department prior to bidding.

The absence of a posted condition report on the Freeman's website or in our catalogues should not be interpreted as commentary on an item's condition. Prospective buyers are responsible for inspecting a lot or sending their agent or conservator to inspect the lot on their behalf, and for ensuring that they have requested, received and understood any condition report provided by Freeman's.

Please email [email protected] for any additional information or questions you may have regarding this lot.