Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009): Deconstructing the Art of Self-Portraiture

This article tackles the genre of self-portraiture in the art of figurative American painter Andrew Wyeth (1917-2009). Even though Wyeth’s prolific career lasted seven decades, only four paintings officially entitled “self-portrait” by the artist exist. The last acknowledged self-portrait, The Revenant—even if its title doesn’t mention the word “self-portrait”—was painted in 1949. Then, until his death in 2009, Wyeth crafted a very personal and intimate genre of self-portraiture, that we could describe as “deconstructed self-portraits”. First, we will define the genre of self-portraiture (a sub-category of portraiture), which is a portrait of an artist realized by the artist himself or herself, mainly through the medium of painting, drawing, sculpture or photography, traditionally recognized as both a recording and a reconstruction of the artist’s physical appearance. Then, we will analyze the evolution of the genre from an art historical perspective, but also within the framework of social psychology that establishes three approaches to the representation of the self. To finish, we will wonder why Wyeth chose (consciously or not) to shun literal self-depictions and only created metaphorical images of himself. Wyeth explained that some of these images had a profound metaphorical and personal meaning, they also betray the artist’s tense subjectivity. While visually deconstructing himself and conveying a larger meaning of what an artist’s identity can be, Wyeth also questioned the art of self-portraiture. We will thus explore this particular interest in pushing the limits within the genre and within his own psyche.