Realism

Andrew Wyeth is known as a realist painter. Realist painters depict what the eyes can see, often meaning that subjects are represented as they can be viewed or because they are real individuals. In other cases, subjects painted by realists are simply not idealized, but painted with "warts and all." Realism was a tendency in 19th century art and emphasized the beauty of the everyday. American realism began in the turn of the 20th century and showed modern views of what was occurring. While Wyeth does not fit directly into the 19th century realist and American realist molds, as they precede his time, he still belongs in the realist school largely speaking.

Wyeth was a realist both in that he painted real scenes and because he painted almost nothing in an idealized fashion. His paintings were limited to areas that he knew intimately, such as particular areas, homes...