Exploring Realism with Artist of the Month Andrew Wyeth

Born and raised in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, Andrew Wyeth – our November Artist of the Month – was perhaps one of the most well-known American artists of the mid 1900s. While his local connection alone is worth celebrating, his signature style, particularly as a realist painter, also offers a rich educational platform for young children. 

Christina’s World (1948), one of Andrew Wyeth’s most famous paintings, shows his signature style of realism.

Just as Wyeth’s work reflects the places and people of his everyday life, we have been using the study of his paintings to encourage our students to interpret and explore their everyday environments – and everyone and everything in them – in new, artistic ways. Our classes have been working on this throughout the month, participating in activities such as:

• Drawing self-portraits and portraits of friends or family members.
• Creating class paintings on canvas with acrylic paint.
• Sitting outside and sketching the landscape around the school.
• Focusing on artistic tone and mood, as they relate to emotions and context for stories or concepts.
• Using colors to represent emotions while drawing.

Students at The Malvern School of Medford create cityscapes, self-portraits and landscapes in honor of Artist of the Month Andrew Wyeth.

Wyeth reminds us that art is all around. Let’s not forget to stop every now and again to appreciate that with our little ones.