WASHINGTON, DC- U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Arlen Specter (R-PA) today introduced a resolution honoring the life and art of Andrew Wyeth. The famed painter from Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania passed away on January 16, 2009 at the age of 91.
“Andrew Wyeth’s passing is a great loss to the art world and the community of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania,” said Senator Casey. “His paintings showed the world the American landscape could be both harsh and beautiful at the same time. Andrew Wyeth was a truly American artist whose works live on as a testament to rural twentieth-century life.”
“Andrew Wyeth was truly one of the great American artists of the 20th Century, and he had an unmatched talent for depicting rural America,” Senator Specter said. “It is an honor for our Commonwealth that Wyeth called Pennsylvania his home. He will be sorely missed by his fellow Pennsylvanians and admirers around world, but his contributions to the art community will live on for time immemorial.”
Andrew Wyeth was one of the most popular and well known artists of the 20th century. Known for painting rural American landscapes and lives, his paintings were immensely popular among the public, but also sparked dialogue and disagreement in the art world concerning the natures of realism and modernism. In 1963, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and in 1988, he received the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor.
The resolution today recognizes Andrew Wyeth as a treasure of the United States for his beautiful paintings and also recognizes his outstanding contributions to the art world and the community of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania.
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