Night Shadow: An Eclectic Analysis
May 11th, 2008
Preface- The following posts will be an analysis of Andrew Wyeth’s Drybrush painting Night Shadow, following the methodology of Lawrence Ferrara’s eclectic analysis process. I am adding a preface here to form a context and to explain my adaptation of that particular analytical process. Although the eclectic analysis is traditionally used in regards to performing arts, it also applies to other art fields with equal ease and substantive results. This is because all art forms can be analyzed in terms of the three fundamental aspects of the eclectic analysis: phenomenology, syntax, and reference. Performance art, when interpreted as gesture, can also cover much of the process portion of the creation of a visual work. Some visual works are explicitly defined by an artist as performance art, for example, projects executed by artists associated with the organization Performa.
History- Wyeth completed Night Shadow in 1979 as part of a series of works created from 1970-1985, later entitled The Helga Pictures. The series was a total of 246 works in all, composed of drawings, watercolors, sketches, drybrush, and tempera of his model Helga Testorf. In 2002 Wyeth completed a final work, Gone, making that number 247. The creation of this series was kept in almost complete secrecy, even from their respective spouses, until 1986, when its revelation implied a scandal. When interviewed by Art & Antiques as to the inspiration for the works, Betsy replied “Love”, a word that Andrew later clarified in the Time article to refer to an inspirational love rather than a sexual one. Read the source article! –> Corliss, Richard. “Andrew Wyeth’s Stunning Secret”. Time Aug. 1986. Time Inc. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,962060,00.html
Although Wyeth’s work at that time may have been influenced to a minimal extent by other emerging art forms, such as Photorealism, but in general his realist approach contrasted the gaining popularity of abstract expressionism. In this contrast, the basis of his work, abstraction grounded in realism, remains one of psychological isolation. Wyeth’s philosophy is evident in his use of undecorated subject matter, sparsity, and intimacy with the object as it is, be it still life, figure, architectural, or landscape.
Open Viewing- At first sight there is a black band, more with the impression of the absence of the object, it is so black that it appears to have no volume, and in fact be empty, even beyond flat. There is a light shape, a soft edged square, feathered and bent in three dimensions, a wisp of hair made from the encroaching darkness laying next to one of her braids. Oddly, in a composition made with less light space than dark, the dark band is still the focal point. Connected to the large space in the canvas which is complete blackness, the band makes that entire space the subject of the work, instead of the woman who lays very still, sleeping as if dead. There is a dirty and tattered pillow. Why would a beautiful head rest on that? There must be nothing else in the house.
Syntax- The main design element in the painting is the angle of the black band. As it ties around Helga’s neck it naturally aligns simultaneously with the line of her lips, the line connecting the shadow below the cheeks with that of the bottom of her nose, her eyes, eyebrows, and hairline. Wyeth consciously uses this element as he draws the shape out evenly across the work, balancing it with the similarly angled dark line created by the cover over her, which forms the inner right edge of the work, and the shadow over her face, in the inner left edge of the work. The balance is dynamic as Wyeth connects these main lines with the dark lines of other elements that bend gently away, such as her right shoulder from the band, and her right braid with the shadow below her eyes. The manner in which the square, that is the general soft edged warped circle of light in the center of the work, is bent across three dimensions reflects the posture of her body. In this way there appears to be a physical vortex pulling towards invisible point where the left braid, and left edge of the band smoothly join the overwhelming darkness.
Her arms are at her sides. Her head is severed from her body. She does not breath, but almost smiles.
Programatic Reference- Helga lays as if in death, but because of the order and cleanliness of her physical state, and the context of the work, the viewer knows she is living. The moment is out of the ordinary, as the light cast on her body is natural, and bright, and so it cannot be nighttime, yet she is sleeping. The state is strange and fixed, her posture is rigid. She sleeps, and in the strange sleep of day her body is separated into parts, and her breath is gone. This is the soul, awake at all hours, eternally parted.
The literal programatic reference captures Helga resting. The spotted pillow reflects, the age, emptiness, and sparsity of their secret meeting place. This is one state in which Wyeth captured her, amongst a series of others. It has all of the artists thoughts, alone with himself essentially, as she is dreaming, or even perhaps in a dreamless sleep. In these thoughts the power of his inspiration resonates with no other other psychology to compete with it.
The Phenomenological- A drybrush painting, it is heavy in terms of the shade and depth of pigment, but thin and light in its physical form. Time is still, as it is a visual artwork but also still as the model sleeps. In the image there is an old pillow and the emptiness of darkness, framing a body undecorated, except for the black band. In its physical qualities, there is essentially Helga but she is once removed in sleep.
Virtual Feelings/Forms- The feeling of peacefulness, and of being alone are present in the subjects isolated state within the sea of blackness. Secrecy, inspiration, and love are felt when viewing, through the lens of its historical context, the near stillness of the work, that has only a gentle motion in its diagonal and curved lines. The fear of death with a resigned acceptance is present in the works literal depiction. Also in this depiction, there is the silence of an empty house, and in the weight of the black pigment also rests the weight of that silence.
Ontological Reference- Obvious ontological references are difficult to perceive in this work as the context in which it was painted was one of secrecy and the physical and psychological isolation implied by that. That aspect does, however, reveal a certain truth about the artists relationship to his art work, and the artworks preservation of that world. Wyeth once stated, “I think one’s art goes as far and as deep as one’s love goes” (1). This painting demonstrates that depth in the care of his depiction of Helga, and the power of the inspiration felt through the dramatic lighting and programatic references.
(1) Wilmerding, John. Andrew Wyeth: The Helga Pictures. New York: Abrams:1987.
Retrospective Open Viewing- Looking again after hearing, through the sense of implications, and seeing the work, the viewer then shares an intimacy with the artist as he is no longer alone with his thoughts, but shares them with us. Odds and ends of syntactical design reveal themselves only later, such as the purpose of the strange braid-shaped shadow behind Helga’s left breast. Having asked, only later in the analytical process, “Why is that there, and why so dark?” immediate answers uncover another element of the work, that is the sensual. The shadow accents her physical form, drawing attention to the overall gentle rendering of her body, which is cut so sharply with the black band.
Performance a.k.a. Application Guide- I will adapt the traditional 9th step, the performance guide, of an eclectic analysis to an application guide, a title better suited to the context and content of primarily visual works. When referencing this painting, either by contextual reference and/or artistic imitation, its historical, syntactical, phenomenological, and referential features should be kept in mind. These features affect the interpretation of the work in context, such as at an exhibition, or through an artistic allusion in any field of art, performance or visual.
A practical application of this can be seen in a band I wear, sometimes with a pendent and sometimes without. Wearing this creates a conscious reference through fashion, affects the bearer’s psychology as well as that of the viewer’s whether or not either is aware. The basis of this influence is outlined in Wimsatt & Beardsley’s essay on the Intentional Fallacy when describing the potential reference of T.S. Eliot’s “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” to the John Donne song, “Go and Catch a Falling Star. The work has mimetic and interpretive significance as long as its referent is in the cultural database in the context of its use.
Meta Critique- The historical section was particularly successful in terms of gathering interesting, though not necessarily obviously relevant data, as the process of the search lead to inter connected history. As the Time article (from 1986) is posted on line, there are also records of the other articles present in that edition to inform the past and present viewers of the cultural climate in which the work was received. The method was not so successful as it did not provide a way for abstract historical reference of this type, although the relevant data about the series of the works aided greatly in understanding the later referential steps.
All three referential steps, the phenomenological, and the syntactical worked particularly well together in the context of this analysis. This might be because visual works of realist influence have greater clarity of meaning by way of their literal depictions. A realist painting with abstract references is much easier to read and subsequently speak about, then the abstract references of a form that is already abstract, such as music.
Although I altered the title of the 9th step, it was still a functioning level of the analysis. The term application guide does not alter the character or philosophical underpinnings for the existence of that step, it simply expands its possibilities in keeping with the basic meaning.
The Image- I don’t know if soon to be link is legal, but will try to find image of Night Shadow
