Artist:
Andrew Wyeth
(American, 1917 - 2009)
Sitter:
Alan Messersmith
Roasted Chestnuts
Medium: Tempera on panel
Date: 1956
Dimensions:
48 × 33 in. (121.9 × 83.8 cm)
Accession number: 71.5.1
Copyright: © 2024 Wyeth Foundation for American Art / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY
Label Copy:
Andrew Wyeth spoke of himself as an outsider—a misfit—and was drawn to people whom he perceived as also being outside the mainstream. Here he portrays Alan Messersmith, Wyeth’s Chadds Ford neighbor and a model for several paintings over the years. He is shown selling chestnuts out of a barrel along what was then rural Route 202 in Chadds Ford. Wyeth captures the feeling of winter in the sky and in the light that breaks across the road. The shadows, sunlight and track marks in front of Messersmith create an abstract pattern that draws the viewer into the scene, punctuated by the elongated figure of Messersmith.
Andrew Wyeth spoke of himself as an outsider—a misfit—and was drawn to people whom he perceived as also being outside the mainstream. Here he portrays Alan Messersmith, Wyeth’s Chadds Ford neighbor and a model for several paintings over the years. He is shown selling chestnuts out of a barrel along what was then rural Route 202 in Chadds Ford. Wyeth captures the feeling of winter in the sky and in the light that breaks across the road. The shadows, sunlight and track marks in front of Messersmith create an abstract pattern that draws the viewer into the scene, punctuated by the elongated figure of Messersmith.
Curatorial RemarksWyeth’s powerful imagination often imparts fantastic meanings to ordinary scenes. In this case, the artist explained: "The boy is Alan Messersmith, and I saw him standing there on Highway 202 near West Chester…in Pennsylvania. The tracks seemed to me almost like those made by ancient Roman chariots. There’s a sort of ancient feeling about this picture and the young man."
Messersmith was a neighbor who regularly sold chestnuts by the side of the road. Although he is alone, the ruts created by car wheels in the mud indicate the past presence of other people in this place. The tracks also serve as a strong compositional element, opening out towards the viewer at the bottom of the canvas and continuing into the distance at the top. Such tracks are a recurrent theme in Wyeth’s work. The lengthening shadows of late afternoon suggest the boy’s persistence as he waits for customers, alone but not lonely. His worn army jacket and frayed knit cap convey the physical discomfort of a sunny yet cold winter’s day.
Messersmith was a neighbor who regularly sold chestnuts by the side of the road. Although he is alone, the ruts created by car wheels in the mud indicate the past presence of other people in this place. The tracks also serve as a strong compositional element, opening out towards the viewer at the bottom of the canvas and continuing into the distance at the top. Such tracks are a recurrent theme in Wyeth’s work. The lengthening shadows of late afternoon suggest the boy’s persistence as he waits for customers, alone but not lonely. His worn army jacket and frayed knit cap convey the physical discomfort of a sunny yet cold winter’s day.