Indian Summer

Andrew Wyeth placed Siri Erickson in the Maine landscape, standing on a rocky ledge confronting a backdrop of dense evergreen trees. The striking juxtaposition of the pale nude figure against deep green hues of the forest creates a sharp focal point enhanced by the white ribbon of quartz in the rock beneath her feet. A pine bough reaching in from the right foreground almost envelopes the figure and connects her to the surrounding space.

Wyeth uses tempera to weave a subtly modulated thicket of overlapping branches and pine needles in the background. The scene evokes the cool dampness and distinctive scent of a pine forest. The timeless, almost primeval quality of the image is made contemporary by the hint of tan lines across the model’s waist and lower back.

Andrew Wyeth met Erickson, the daughter of a Finnish farmer, shortly before Christina Olson, his close friend and subject of many of his important works, died. For Wyeth, Siri’s youth and energy was a rejuvenating antidote to the loss of Christina.