Artist:
George A. Weymouth
(American, 1936 - 2016)
Sitter:
Robert "Bob" Wright
Eleven O'Clock News
Medium: Egg tempera on Renaissance panel
Date: 1966
Dimensions:
47 3/4 × 39 3/8 in. (121.3 × 100 cm)
Accession number: 86.8
Copyright: © George A. Weymouth. Used by permission.
Label Copy:
The engimatic mood of this painting is created by the intense expression of the man firmly gripping an ax—Robert Wright—and the ominous shadows that fall across his sweater and richly textured stone wall. Only the title reveals that Wright has paused from chopping wood to listen to the transistor radio resting on the windowsill. Robert "Bob" Wright (1915-1997) was a resident of Wilmington, Delaware, and was a handyman in the Brandywine Valley for decades. Like his friend and artistic mentor, Andrew Wyeth, George Weymouth frequently painted his subjects in profile—lost in thought.
The engimatic mood of this painting is created by the intense expression of the man firmly gripping an ax—Robert Wright—and the ominous shadows that fall across his sweater and richly textured stone wall. Only the title reveals that Wright has paused from chopping wood to listen to the transistor radio resting on the windowsill. Robert "Bob" Wright (1915-1997) was a resident of Wilmington, Delaware, and was a handyman in the Brandywine Valley for decades. Like his friend and artistic mentor, Andrew Wyeth, George Weymouth frequently painted his subjects in profile—lost in thought.
Curatorial RemarksPrevious label: The unidentified man in this portrait worked for the artist for many years. Here Weymouth creates an enigmatic narrative—not only through the subject’s tense expression and his frozen gesture holding the axe—but also through the use of shadows: the one echoing the tree against the wall, the man’s silhouteed reflecton in the opaque window, and the dramatic diagonal shadow falling across his sweater. The title is the only hint at the subject matter, directing our attention to the small transistor radio on the windowsill. Seemingly, the man has heard some news that has caused him to stop his work and listen intently.