Draft Age

© Jamie Wyeth/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Artist:

Jamie Wyeth

(American, b. 1946)
Sitter:

Jimmy Lynch

Draft Age

Medium: Oil on canvas
Date: 1965
Dimensions:
36 × 30 in. (91.4 × 76.2 cm)
Accession number: 99.4
Copyright: © Jamie Wyeth / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Label Copy:
This bold image of Wyeth’s closest childhood friend, Jimmy Lynch, is among the artist’s most imaginative early portraits. Lynch originally posed for the painting wearing an aviator’s scarf and goggles, but, after seeing Marlon Brando in The Wild One (1953), arrived at the studio dressed as he is here. Lynch’s attire and bad-boy stance embody the rebellious attitude of many young people during the politically turbulent 1960s; ironically, Lynch received his draft notice the day the painting was completed.
Curatorial RemarksPainted when the artist was 19 years old, "Draft Age" captures the attitude of many young people during the Vietnam War era. The tilted pose, reflective glasses and leather jacket define the rebelliousness of the subject. The textures of leather, metal, and plastic are rendered with exacting detail, demonstrating Jamie Wyeth's fine technical ability.;Sitter is Jimmy Lynch, Chadds Ford
On view