Brandywine River Landscape

John W. McCoy received his Bachelors of Fine Arts from Cornell University and studied at the American School in Fontainebleau, France, as well as at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. McCoy credited N.C. Wyeth with being his most inspirational and influential teacher. Starting in 1933, McCoy and Andrew Wyeth took lessons together from the elder Wyeth until the two students found their preferences in subject matter began to differ too much for joint sessions to be productive. McCoy became an official member of the Wyeth family in 1935 when he married N.C. Wyeth’s daughter Ann.

This landscape was completed during the years that Andrew Wyeth and McCoy were painting watercolors together. McCoy displays his mastery of composition with this landscape, showing the river, large trees, green banks and a gray sky. Though the riverside may be a lively scene, it is countered with barren trees and a subdued and earthy color palette.