Recently I was in the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC. One of the current exhibits – Andrew Wyeth, Looking In, Looking Out – triggered memories of my teenage years. His “Wind from the Sea” painting looks out the window of the Olson house in Maine onto the expansive yellow field beyond, a reverse from his iconic “Christina’s World” that looks from the field toward the distant house.
And that’s when it got a little weird.
For some reason I don’t recall, my pubescent bedroom posters didn’t include the ubiquitous Farrah Fawcett red bathing suit photo (considered the ultimate in pin-up risqué at the time). Instead my walls were adorned with posters of real artwork. Not just any run-of-the-mill artwork, mind you, but three masterpieces of macabre.
I swear I wasn’t a Goth type, or any of the moody, dark, dressed-in-black funereal sorts. But the three posters I remember the most were “Guernica” by Pablo Picasso, “The Death of Marat” by Jacques-Louis David, and the aforementioned “Christina’s World” by Andrew Wyeth.
On the surface it would appear that these three paintings had little in common. “Guernica” is quintessential Picasso, its unnaturally juxtaposed figures stacked in a cubist style only he could so iconically capture. “The Death of Marat,” on the other hand, is a realistic depiction of a dying man in a tub, resplendent in details down to the name of his murderer on the paper held in his left hand. Finally, Wyeth gives us a broad tempera of, it turns out, a misleadingly carefree woman lounging in a wide field gazing back upon the homestead.
A closer understanding brings out the macabre nature of the three. Picasso painted “Guernica” in reaction to the bombing of its namesake Spanish city by German and Italian forces during the Spanish Civil War. It reflects death, dismemberment, and destruction.
David’s “The Death of Marat” likewise depicts a scene reminiscent of the brutality of war. A physician, scientist, and journalist, Marat became one of the most radical Jacobins in the bloody French Revolution before being assassinated in his own oatmeal bath by a female double agent.
But what of “Christina’s World;” how does that fit the pattern? It looks so innocent and sweet. Look closer at the positioning of the woman’s torso and legs – Anna Christina Olson suffered from polio, which paralyzed her lower body. Wyeth’s inspiration came from watching Christina crawling across the field, struggling for some semblance of normality. It shows the pain and despondency of seclusion.
So yeah, I apparently was a strange kid.
In recent years I’ve been lucky enough to see all three original paintings in their home museums. “Christina’s World” is in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City. The massive 11 feet tall by 25.6 feet wide “Guernica” dominates its own room at the Museo Reina Sofia in Madrid. And while living in Brussels I literally turned the corner of a gallery room at the Royal Museum of Art and stopped in my tracks to see “The Death of Marat” staring back at me.
I’ve seen many other classic pieces of art in my travels, from the Mona Lisa to Michelangelo’s David to da Vinci’s Last Supper, but as impressive as those are, none brings back memories of my youth like this odd trio of the macabre.
David J. Kent is a science traveler and the author of Lincoln: The Man Who Saved America, in Barnes and Noble stores now. His previous books include Tesla: The Wizard of Electricity (2013) and Edison: The Inventor of the Modern World (2016) and two e-books: Nikola Tesla: Renewable Energy Ahead of Its Time and Abraham Lincoln and Nikola Tesla: Connected by Fate.
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ru.smiln said:
Probably not easy to find another kid that shares your taste! It is so cool that you were able to see all three originals!
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davidjkentwriter said:
I think I have great taste. 🙂
And yes, very cool that I’ve been able to see so much in person. But still so much more to see.
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irinadim said:
How wonderful to be able to see the originals of these paintings! I find “Christina’s World” the most moving. Great read!
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davidjkentwriter said:
I feel truly lucky, Irina, to have been able to travel to the places where these, and many other, artworks are held. Who would have thought a small town kid could see what I’ve seen (and still seeing).
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irinadim said:
Looking forward to reading more about your travels. 🙂
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fusion said:
fascinating read. well written. and imagine, i also grew up under a life-size replica of guernica. my father had one hanging in our dining room. and under the picture we used to sit around a huge long conference table he had scored at an auction. never thought, that it might have influenced me.
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davidjkentwriter said:
Probably unlikely that too many people had Guernica on their walls (for obvious reasons). Glad you liked the post.
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Lightness Traveling said:
I recall this as an early article upon which my comments vaporized. 😦
All are pieces I’ve studied (or been studied in). “The Death of Marat,” in particular, was a part of my (long, long ago) studies of French culture. Various depictions of the scene (including those of Charlotte Corday) express the politics of their times.
I don’t recall much in the way of pictures or posters on the walls of my bedroom, either as a child, or as a teen — maybe a couple of pieces of record-album art. My personal sense of aesthetic ranged more toward draperies and artifacts. Farrah Fawcett… I recall kinda’ liking Billy Idol — or maybe Brian Ferry if I was feeling a bit more civilized. 😉
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davidjkentwriter said:
Glad your comments showed up now.
I have a particular affinity for “The Death of Marat,” but I’ll leave it at that for now.
My bedroom as a teen was, quite literally, an attic. The slanted ceilings created an odd overhang to my bed, making the display of posters best viewed when lying down. Walking to the side wall to get at my dresser (which was built into the eaves) required stooping. The one window looked out on the roof of the extension that housed the kitchen below. I recall going out there on occasion to contemplate life (and the distance to the ground two stories below).
Ah, fun times. 🙂
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unmotivatedenthusiast said:
We are all strange in our own ways
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davidjkentwriter said:
Indeed.
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killerwithkindness said:
Very nice post 🙂
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davidjkentwriter said:
Thank you!
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Dangerspouse said:
I can’t believe you didn’t think the Farrah Fawcett poster was Art, writ large. Especially at that age.
My own youthful taste – in addition to Ms. Fawcett’s feathered tresses – ran more towards surrealism, particularly Magritte. I had a number of his apple-headed, train emerging from fireplace, raining umbrella posters thumb-tacked to the walls of my Boy Cave. They were tailor made for the typical adolescent’s thirst for the absurd. And truth be told, some of us still haven’t slaked that thirst 🙂
Great post!
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davidjkentwriter said:
I, too, am a fan of Magritte. There was a large Magritte exhibit in the Royal Museum of Fine Arts in Brussels that I loved. They moved it to a brand new separate Magritte Museum just about the time I left the city. Having the opportunity to see many of the original masterpieces in their home museums has been a thrill.
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Dangerspouse said:
I’m sure the experiences must have been extremely gratifying. Good for you,
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