WORKS BY ANDREW WYETH AND
GOLDEN IMPRESSIONS BY DONALD PYWELL
(December 2003; #041)

Beginning November 28 and continuing through January 11, the Brandywine River Museum presents an exhibition that simultaneously celebrates the art of Andrew Wyeth and the art of goldsmith Donald Pywell. Works by Andrew Wyeth and Golden Impressions by Donald Pywell presents over 18 works by Wyeth in tempera, drybrush and watercolor that inspired Pywell's sculptural work. The exhibition begins with works by Wyeth, leading to the Pywell jewelry displayed in architectural settings designed by T. Mark Cole.

Andrew Wyeth's works reflect the stark, transient beauty of the countryside, the endurance of well-used buildings and unique people in his life. Donald Pywell's pieces, crafted from gold, silver and precious stones, evoke the Wyeth paintings that inspired them. These are three-dimensional interpretations of primary elements in Wyet's paintings, and each is presented in a setting that echoes the work that inspired it.

Donald Pywell began his artistic career studying painting at the Philadelphia College of Art. While there his interest turned to sculpture and then to goldsmithing, which he terms "a form of sculpture- but in miniature."1† In 1971 he established a studio in Chadds Ford, where his work attracted the attention of both Andrew Wyeth and his wife, Betsy. Before long Andrew Wyeth commissioned "Beech Leaf," a ring he gave to Betsy as a Christmas gift.

Among the striking, fascinating and diverse works is the delicately brushed gold of "Feather Necklace" inspired by the 1996 tempera, Airborne. Feathers floating over the landscape defy gravity, as does the gold necklace that seems weightless. A stunning circle of gold lobster buoys reflects elements in Wyeth's 1954 tempera, Tomorrow the Outer Shoals. Maga's Daughter, a 1966 tempera, prompted Pywell to reflect the image of a hat worn by the artist's wife and fashion a necklace of gold and silver which is a golden hat held on a ribbon of silver. The unusual hands in Wyeth's mysterious and haunting 1994 tempera, Breakup, appear in a gold necklace as a parade of single hands forming a circle.

The brooch and bracelet collection consists of such sumptuous pieces as Pywell's "Mussel Shell Brooch" encrusted with diamond barnacles and modeled on Wyeth's 1953 drybrush, Seashells (study for Sandspit). A "Blackberry Branch Brooch" of gold and rubies is beautifully crafted and faithful to Wyethís early 1943 drybrush, Blackberry Branch (study for Blackberry Picker, 1943). "Buttonwood Leaf Brooch," modeled after Wyeth's 1981 painting of the same title, features a remarkably detailed and lifelike leaf, oxidized and pierced so as not to appear artificial. The impressive "Equinox Bracelet" depicts a dog's profile in relief against a portion of a striated millstone as in Andrew Wyeth's 1977 tempera, Equinox.

The exhibition also features exciting sculptural creations such as "May Basket" after Wyeth's 1984 watercolor of the same name. The piece is a remarkably complex gold and enamel work that includes a detailed basket weave, a spray of flowers, and an intricately knotted bow.

"Dr. Syn" is the most startling work in this exhibition. A birthday gift from Betsy Wyeth to her husband, it is skeletal figure, dressed in antique military uniform and slippers, sitting in a chair on an ivory and ebony floor. Modeled after Wyeth's 1981 tempera, Dr. Syn, it took Pywell a year to complete, and he humorously calls it "a self-portrait of the inner man."2†

Exhibiting American art in a restored 19th-century grist mill, the Brandywine River Museum is internationally known for its unparalleled collection of works by three generations of Wyeths and its fine collection of American illustration, still life and landscape painting. Located on U.S. Route 1 in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, the museum is open daily, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except Christmas Day. Admission is $6 for adults; $3 for seniors ages 65 and over, students with I.D., and children ages 6 to 12; and free for children under six and Brandywine Conservancy members. For more information, please call 610-388-2700.

1 Phil Maggitti, Pywell's Variations on a Wyeth Theme," County Lines (June 1985), p. 58.

2 Don Hardy, "His Wyeth Jewels are Returned to Museum," Philadelphia Inquirer (December 1987).
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Press photography is available upon request.
11/03

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