More Than a Likeness: The Enduring Art of Mary Whyte

More Than a Likeness: The Enduring Art of Mary Whyte

More Than a Likeness: The Enduring Art of Mary Whyte is the first comprehensive book on the life and work of one of todayâ€™s most renowned watercolorists. From Whyteâ€™s earliest paintings in rural Ohio and Pennsylvania, to the riveting portraits of her southern neighbors, historian Martha R. Severens provides us with an intimate look into the artistâ€™s private world.

With more than two hundred full-color images of Whyteâ€™s paintings and sketches, as well as comparison works by masters such as Winslow Homer, Andrew Wyeth, and John Singer Sargent, Severens clearly illustrates how Whyteâ€™s art has been shaped and how the artist forged her own place in the world today.

Though Whyteâ€™s academic training in Philadelphia was in oil painting, she learned the art of watercolor on her ownâ€”by studying masterworks in museums. Today Whyteâ€™s style of watercolor painting is a unique blend of classical realism and contemporary vision, as seen in her intimate portraits of Southern blue-collar workers and elderly African American women in the South Carolina lowcountry.

â€œFor me ideas are more plentiful than the hours to paint them, and I worry that I cannot get to all of my thoughts before they are forgotten or are pushed aside by more pressing concerns,â€ explains Whyte. â€œSome works take time to evolve. Like small seeds the paintings might not come to fruition until several years later, after there has been ample time for germination.â€

Using broad sweeping washes as well as miniscule brushstrokes, Whyte directs the viewerâ€™s attention to the areas in her paintings she deems most important. Murky passages of neutral colors often give way to areas of intense detail and color, giving the works a variety of edges and poetic focus. Several paintings included in the book are accompanied by enlarged areas of detail, showcasing Whyteâ€™s technical mastery.

More Than a Likeness is replete with engaging artwork and inspiring text that mark the mid-point in Whyteâ€™s artistry. Of what she will paint in the future, the artist says, â€œI have always believed that as artists we donâ€™t choose our vocation, style, or subject matter. Art chooses us.â€

Country	USA
Binding	Kindle Edition
EISBN	9781611173246
Format	Kindle eBook
Label	University of South Carolina Press
Manufacturer	University of South Carolina Press
NumberOfPages	264
PublicationDate	2013-08-01
Publisher	University of South Carolina Press
ReleaseDate	2013-08-01
Studio	University of South Carolina Press

More Than a Likeness: The Enduring Art of Mary Whyte

You might also like...