Dooryard, White Cosmos

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.

From N.C. Wyeth, McCoy learned that in order to paint a scene or activity well, one must first experience it. His depictions of still lifes and scenes of nature are executed in a moody and more abstract style than those by his famous brother-in-law Andrew Wyeth and have earned McCoy national recognition. Dooryard, White Cosmos is exemplary of McCoy’s style and techniques, a pensive and somewhat gloomy composition creating a sense of contemplation.