直面人生

But, this story is not the United States’ only origin story, and even the story of the Pilgrims is complex and contentious. Like the founding of Rome (there is both Romulus and Aeneas of Virgil’s Aeneid), there are many complicated narratives that compete and complement each other, histories that were discussed and debated since the beginning. Whenever we talk about this history, we must ask ourselves why do we tell these stories, what do they say about us, where did they come from, who is and isn’t included, and how do we tell it?

Although these paintings were some of the last pieces worked on by Wyeth, they were not his only commissioned murals. While Wyeth may have been one of the towering figures of illustration, he was preoccupied with being seen as a fine art artist. In this way, murals provided him this possibility. Think of the many murals made by some of the greatest artists in history since the Renaissance – Leonardo da Vinci, Mary Cassatt, Diego Rivera, Keith Haring. Often murals depict events in history (also called “history paintings”) which were considered some of the highest forms of art. As they progressed, these works often performed other functions, particularly showcasing or celebrating values important to the commissioner. It is for these reasons that murals were considered so favorably and for which Wyeth was eager to paint them.

这些壁画以及MetLife系列对Wyeth而言有着深刻的个人意义,原因有几个:从他渴望作为艺术家被严肃对待,到探索自己在新英格兰成长经历的机会。Wyeth出生于马萨诸塞州Needham。他的一位祖先甚至于1645年从英格兰来到马萨诸塞,距离1620年普利茅斯殖民地的建立时间相去不远。这种深厚的情感可以在展览中的两件作品中看到。然而,最打动我们的或许是《清教徒捕鳕者》。相比《1620年五月花号的到来》,这件作品不那么具有历史性,呈现的是日常时刻,但它充满了他所能运用的每一种叙事手法,仿佛它是一幅伟大的历史画。N.C. Wyeth与他的孙子在一次火车相撞中丧生。他的儿子Andrew Wyeth根据父亲的草图完成了这幅画。这是Andrew完成的MetLife项目中唯一一幅画作。