From collection Kosti Ruohomaa Collection
LB2017.19.1378
Andrew Wyeth sits with family and friends on the rocky beach below the Wyeth residence in Cushing, Maine. The house stands on the shore behind them. Forrest Wall, a family friend who modelled for Wyeth, sits at left, shucking oysters. Next, L to R, are Wyeth's second son James "Jamie" Wyeth, who became a notable painter himself; his wife Betsy (née James) Wyeth; his youngest son Nicholas "Nick" Wyeth (striped shirt); Andrew; and an unidentified family friend. Ruohomaa met American realist painter Andrew Wyeth in 1947 through their mutual acquaintance, the sculptor George Curtis. The two enjoyed a long friendship and had a few eccentric adventures (see "Kosti Ruohomaa: Andrew Wyeth Collects a Hearse" and "Kosti Ruohomaa: Andrew Wyeth's Deserted House"). Arguably, they also shared some artistic affinities. For example, each had his own way of imbuing otherwise ordinary scenes with complex emotion, and both men often seemed to view their subjects as elemental forces. The painter invited the photographer to his family's summer home in Cushing, Maine for a visit of several days in June and July of 1951. The occasion yielded some notable portraits of Wyeth and his family; in effect, Ruohomaa was able to study Wyeth in one of his native habitats.
