Why am I passionate about this?
As a 5-year-old boy, I was given a tin of watercolour paints by my Grandmother. I had no idea how to use them, and there was no one around to teach me. I had to find my own way. Around the same time I was taken on a day trip to London, where we visited the Tate Gallery. It was there that I was confronted for the first time by the magnificent paintings of J.M.W.Turner. My love for art was ignited. I became a serious student of art, and although I have had to make a living in the world like everyone else, art became my go-to therapy for relief and recreation.
David's book list on art influences
Why did David love this book?
When I was a boy, like many others, I was infatuated with tales of adventure. Treasure Island, Last of the Mohicans to name but two. At that time the illustrations in these books just leapt off the paper and fired my imagination. It was later when I became a serious student of art that I discovered that many of these illustrations were made by N.C.Wyeth. An American artist (19th-20thc) whose later son, Andrew Wyeth, became world-famous.
In Treasure Island, there is a painting of Blind Pugh, a ferocious pirate. I lost track of the times I tried as a boy to copy this work, an incredible figure painting full of movement and atmosphere.
1 author picked An American Vision as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
A collection of art by the Wyeth family accompanied by essays written by people closely associated with the Wyeth tradition. They give a balanced picture of this remarkable dynasty of artists, and of their work within the context of 20th century America.