Artist:
N.C. Wyeth
(American, 1882 - 1945)
"He rose to his feet and flung the six pounds of powerful explosive far out into the great snow comb."
Medium: Oil on canvas
Date: 1906
Dimensions:
52 1/8 × 34 1/8 in. (132.4 × 86.7 cm)
Brandywine River Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Larry Magid, 1981, in memory of Alexander Magid
Accession number: 81.36
Label Copy:
The January 1907 issue of Outing Magazine included four illustrations by N. C. Wyeth for "How They Opened the Snow Road," a tale of miners struggling for survival against mountains of snow. In February 1906, Caspar Whitney, editor of Outing, had sent Wyeth to Denver, Hot Sulphur Springs, and Kremmling, Colorado, to gather material for the pictures. Wyeth’s letters attest to his personal experience of such conditions, and the subtle coloration of snow and frigid atmosphere marks the artist as a keen observer of nature.
The January 1907 issue of Outing Magazine included four illustrations by N. C. Wyeth for "How They Opened the Snow Road," a tale of miners struggling for survival against mountains of snow. In February 1906, Caspar Whitney, editor of Outing, had sent Wyeth to Denver, Hot Sulphur Springs, and Kremmling, Colorado, to gather material for the pictures. Wyeth’s letters attest to his personal experience of such conditions, and the subtle coloration of snow and frigid atmosphere marks the artist as a keen observer of nature.
Research Number: NCW: 384
InscribedLower right: N. C. WYETH (underlined) / 06; written on reverse of canvas: "He rose to his feet and flung the / half pound of powerful Explosives far / out onto the great snow comb; label adhered to top stretcher bar: No. 54802 / PICTURE
ProvenanceThe artist; Mrs. N. C. Wyeth; Carolyn Wyeth; (Judy Goffman, Bluebell, PA); Mr. and Mrs. Larry Magid, Philadelphia, PA
Exhibition HistoryNew York, NY, 1957, no. 38, as "The Great Snow"; Greensburg, PA, Westmoreland Museum of Art, "25th Anniversary Exhibition, Selected American Paintings, 1750-1950", May 20 - July 22, 1984, no. 117 p. 12, illus. b/w plate 91 p. 94; Chadds Ford, PA, 1990 (2), illus. b/w p. 52, no. 22 p. 81; Rockland, Maine, Farnsworth Art Museum, "Every Picture Tells a Story," April 27-Dec. 30, 2013;
References
Douglas Allen and Douglas Allen, Jr., N. C. Wyeth, The Collected Paintings, Illustrations and Murals (New York: Crown Publishers, 1972), p. 268, b/w illustration p. 126; Brandywine River Museum, Catalogue of the Collection, 1969-1989 (Chadds Ford, PA: Brandywine Conservancy, 1991), p. 200, b/w illustration p. 196; Christine B. Podmaniczky, N. C. Wyeth, A Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings (London: Scala, 2008), I.149, p. 151
Curatorial RemarksThe January 1907 issue of Outing Magazine included four illustrations by N. C. Wyeth for "How They Opened the Snow Road," a tale of miners struggling for survival against mountains of snow. In February, 1906, Caspar Whitney, editor of Outing, had sent Wyeth to Denver, Hot Sulphur Springs, and Kremmling, Colorado, to gather material for the pictures. The subtle coloration of snow marks Wyeth as a keen observer of nature.
Image Source for printed Catalogue Raisonne:Transparency directly from painting
Photo Credit:No credit on transparency