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Lot Essay
The present work was painted as an illustration for Washington Irving's Rip Van Winkle published by David McKay Company in 1921:
"On entering the amphitheatre, new objects of wonder presented themselves. On a level spot in the centre was a company of odd-looking personages playing at ninepins. They were dressed in quaint outlandish fashion; some wore short doublets, others jerkins, with long knives in their belts, and most of them had enormous breeches, of similar style with that of the guide's. Their visages, too, were peculiar; one had a large head, broad face, and small piggish eyes; the face of another seemed to consist entirely of nose, and was surmounted by a white sugar-loaf hat, set off with a little red cock's tail. They all had beards, of various shapes and colors. There was one who seemed to be the commander. He was a stout old gentleman, with a weather-beaten countenance; he wore a laced doublet, broad belt and hanger, high-crowned hat and feather, red stockings, and high-heeled shoes, with roses in them. The whole group reminded Rip of the figures in an old Flemish painting, in the parlor of Dominie Van Schaick, the village parson, and which had been brought over from Holland at the time of the settlement.
What seemed particularly odd to Rip was, that though these folks were evidently amusing themselves, yet they maintained the gravest faces, the most mysterious silence, and were, withal, the most melancholy party of pleasure he had ever witnessed. Nothing interrupted the stillness of the scene but the noise of the balls, which, whenever they were rolled, echoed along the mountains like rumbling peals of thunder."
N.C. Wyeth cultivated his extraordinary skill for visual narration while studying under his mentor Howard Pyle, who was a celebrated American illustrator around the turn of the century. Wyeth's technical skill and good-natured personality led to an offer to study with Pyle in 1902. Pyle founded his School of Art in Wilmington, Delaware and hosted summer sessions in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania in the Brandywine River Valley. Pyle possessed a unique style of illustration, which he determinately imparted to his pupils, who became known as the Brandywine School. Pyle brought his students directly into contact with historical objects and locales, encouraging them to develop their capacity for blending imagination with an underlying sense of realism. Wyeth possessed a unique talent for bringing historical events to life in a captivating and picturesque formal style, giving his figures emotional complexity and compelling physical traits. He nostalgically explored European Medieval history, illustrating past events and military exploits for an avid American audience.
Wyeth distinguished himself within the popular illustration genre by creating uniquely animated and inventive scenes. Wyeth's illustrations are extraordinarily complex and typically involve multiple layers of meaning. As Victoria Manning concludes, "Wyeth strove to communicate his reverence for universal spirituality in his paintings. His aesthetic sensitivity was enriched by constant soul-searching and by his intellectual drive." ("N.C. Wyeth: The Death of Orlando," Visions of Adventure: N.C. Wyeth and the Brandywine Artists, p. 31)
"On entering the amphitheatre, new objects of wonder presented themselves. On a level spot in the centre was a company of odd-looking personages playing at ninepins. They were dressed in quaint outlandish fashion; some wore short doublets, others jerkins, with long knives in their belts, and most of them had enormous breeches, of similar style with that of the guide's. Their visages, too, were peculiar; one had a large head, broad face, and small piggish eyes; the face of another seemed to consist entirely of nose, and was surmounted by a white sugar-loaf hat, set off with a little red cock's tail. They all had beards, of various shapes and colors. There was one who seemed to be the commander. He was a stout old gentleman, with a weather-beaten countenance; he wore a laced doublet, broad belt and hanger, high-crowned hat and feather, red stockings, and high-heeled shoes, with roses in them. The whole group reminded Rip of the figures in an old Flemish painting, in the parlor of Dominie Van Schaick, the village parson, and which had been brought over from Holland at the time of the settlement.
What seemed particularly odd to Rip was, that though these folks were evidently amusing themselves, yet they maintained the gravest faces, the most mysterious silence, and were, withal, the most melancholy party of pleasure he had ever witnessed. Nothing interrupted the stillness of the scene but the noise of the balls, which, whenever they were rolled, echoed along the mountains like rumbling peals of thunder."
N.C. Wyeth cultivated his extraordinary skill for visual narration while studying under his mentor Howard Pyle, who was a celebrated American illustrator around the turn of the century. Wyeth's technical skill and good-natured personality led to an offer to study with Pyle in 1902. Pyle founded his School of Art in Wilmington, Delaware and hosted summer sessions in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania in the Brandywine River Valley. Pyle possessed a unique style of illustration, which he determinately imparted to his pupils, who became known as the Brandywine School. Pyle brought his students directly into contact with historical objects and locales, encouraging them to develop their capacity for blending imagination with an underlying sense of realism. Wyeth possessed a unique talent for bringing historical events to life in a captivating and picturesque formal style, giving his figures emotional complexity and compelling physical traits. He nostalgically explored European Medieval history, illustrating past events and military exploits for an avid American audience.
Wyeth distinguished himself within the popular illustration genre by creating uniquely animated and inventive scenes. Wyeth's illustrations are extraordinarily complex and typically involve multiple layers of meaning. As Victoria Manning concludes, "Wyeth strove to communicate his reverence for universal spirituality in his paintings. His aesthetic sensitivity was enriched by constant soul-searching and by his intellectual drive." ("N.C. Wyeth: The Death of Orlando," Visions of Adventure: N.C. Wyeth and the Brandywine Artists, p. 31)