SRES 23 ATS
111th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 23
Honoring the life of Andrew Wyeth.
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
January 27, 2009
Mr. CASEY (for himself, Mr. SPECTER, Ms. SNOWE, and Ms. COLLINS) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to
RESOLUTION
Honoring the life of Andrew Wyeth.
Whereas Andrew Wyeth was one of the most popular American artists of the twentieth century, whose paintings presented to the world his impressions of rural American landscapes and lives;
Whereas Andrew Wyeth was born in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania on July 12, 1917, where he spent much of his life and where today stands the Brandywine River Museum, a museum dedicated to the works of the Wyeth family;
Whereas Andrew Wyeth died the morning of January 16, 2009, at the age of 91, in his home in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania;
Whereas it is the intent of the Senate to recognize and pay tribute to the life of Andrew Wyeth, his passion for painting, his contribution to the world of art, and his deep understanding of the human condition;
Whereas Andrew Wyeth was born the son of famed illustrator N.C. Wyeth and grew up surrounded by artists in an environment that encouraged imagination and free-thinking;
Whereas Andrew Wyeth became an icon who focused his work on family and friends in Chadds Ford and in coastal Maine, where he spent his summers and where he met Christina Olson, the subject of his famed painting ‘Christina’s World’;
Whereas Andrew Wyeth’s paintings were immensely popular among the public but sometimes disparaged by critics for their lack of color and bleak landscapes portraying isolation and alienation;
Whereas Andrew Wyeth’s works could be controversial, as they sparked dialogue and disagreement in the art world concerning the natures of realism and modernism;
Whereas Andrew Wyeth was immensely patriotic and an independent thinker who broke with many of his peers on the issues of the day;
Whereas Andrew Wyeth was a beloved figure in Chadds Ford and had his own seat at the corner table of the Chadds Ford Inn, where reproductions of his art line the walls;
Whereas Andrew Wyeth received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963 and the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor in 1988;
Whereas Andrew Wyeth let it be known that he lived to paint and never lost his simplicity and caring for people despite his immense fame and successful career; and
Whereas the passing of Andrew Wyeth is a great loss to the world of art, and his life should be honored with highest praise and appreciation for his paintings which remain with us although he is gone: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) recognizes Andrew Wyeth as a treasure of the United States and one of the most popular artists of the twentieth century; and
(2) recognizes the outstanding contributions of Andrew Wyeth to the art world and to the community of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania.
U.S. Congress - Text of S.Res.23 as Agreed to Senate A resolution honoring the life of Andrew Wyeth.
