From collection Kosti Ruohomaa Collection
LB2017.19.1440
In this frame, Andrew Wyeth sits in a meadow in an ornate wicker chair on a sunny day; he balances a sketchbook on his knees as he draws on a page. A row of dark spruce trees forms the horizon in the background. The location is likely near Wyeth's house or studio in Cushing, Maine. 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.
