Loneliness in Art: Andrew Wyeth & Me | Video Essay

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  • Опубліковано 24 гру 2024

КОМЕНТАРІ • 106

  • @decameter
    @decameter Рік тому +2

    Maine and The Upper Peninsula Michigan have a specific sensation to them, different sensations, but so...specific. They both feel, empty. Beautifully empty. Towns so small they don't have post offices, so tragically empty, buildings falling apart as those who linger move on or pass on. I grew up in busy places, cities and their suburbs, so loud and constantly moving. I found a lot of peace being able to be Truly Alone, in the middle of nowhere. The shore of Superior on a cloudy day, watching the lake crest waves in the November chill. I find it all utterly entrancing, like I could walk on it's surface and step into some other life, where I got to have a place I belonged, rather than being uprooted and never knowing whether I'd ever have a real friend who I'd keep and cherish forever...if I'd have my dad growing up. It was a comfort knowing I could go to the shore of Superior, that my grandparents house would be there. Such a permanence I didn't have.
    When my Grandfather passed, the place that existed permanently went away. It was very hard to come to terms with that. It felt lonely, rather than alone. The deep snows covering the whole peninsula, the depth of the silence. So hard to place.

  • @lorafrisch8395
    @lorafrisch8395 3 роки тому +20

    When I was a teenager I kept a copy of "Christina's World" in my purse. It spoke to me. I was always made to feel abnormal because I was shy. This was in the 50s.

  • @liv43732
    @liv43732 Рік тому +1

    hello from one lonely rural queer to another! this essay hit me very gently but also quite hard. i too ended up back in a childhood hometown i thought i'd never return to over the pandemic, in a county that i blamed wholeheartedly for the unhappiness i'd experienced in it. i loved your thoughts on wyeth's paintings and now they're a little dearer to my heart as well. i hope life has been good to you since you posted this, wherever you are now.
    (oh also in the town i moved to we have lighthouse paintings too, except me and my friends call it airbnb formalism and it's inescapable lol)

  • @rustymotionstudio4717
    @rustymotionstudio4717 3 роки тому +21

    I walked to Maine on the Appalachian Trail. Having abandoned my old life, I found comfort in the endless forest. The endless space, the difficulty of making connections, and therefore the preciousness of every single thread connecting me to other people and nature itself felt like a physical representation of distance in myself. I immigrated to the US when I was very young, and moved frequently thereafter. Being in Maine, a place that I knew I had almost no hope of setting down roots, was a relief. I have left Maine now, but I’m grateful for the time I spent there. Thank you for this video. It’s beautiful

    • @CatherineGraffam
      @CatherineGraffam  3 роки тому +4

      Thank you for sharing your perspective. I'm glad your experiences here made you more appreciative!

  • @neophaim
    @neophaim 8 місяців тому +1

    I've been coming back to re-watch this video every few months since I saw it back in 2021 and I get a bit misty-eyed every time. There's something about the light and space in rural New England that I can't describe but the way you talk about Maine and Wyeth's paintings really resonates. I hope the house has been treating you well!

  • @NoadiArt
    @NoadiArt 3 роки тому +10

    I think anyone from Maine (or New England in general) knows exactly what you mean by "Lighthouse paintings" and their ubiquity in restaurants, doctors offices, etc here. This was fantastic and I love seeing perspectives of other artists from Maine.

    • @CatherineGraffam
      @CatherineGraffam  3 роки тому +3

      I wish lighthouse paintings were enough to fulfill me, tbh! I think i'd be a lot happier haha.

  • @farginargle
    @farginargle 3 роки тому +3

    Hey there Cat, just found you today. I watched your video about art school scams, I am so glad I did not go. I am creative but for all the known reasons have frequently given up a life of art. Now I want to at least do it for my health. I really love this video, and I just love your voice. Thank you! -Karen W

  • @nowheregirl921
    @nowheregirl921 3 роки тому +28

    This is a very interesting and informative video. I am touched by your honesty about your state, your own life, and Wyeth's work.
    I would really love to watch more of your video essays. Do make more!

  • @drakinkoren
    @drakinkoren 3 роки тому +2

    If nothing else, this was a really relaxing twenty minutes. It's nice seeing someone open up a bit about how they relate to art, especially when it doesn't feel like typical video essay ('inspirational' backing music, Shatner inspired speech patterns, etc....)
    This was nice, and now I know of another artist I might want to look up and learn more about.

  • @taymann2088
    @taymann2088 3 роки тому +2

    This actually has me fighting tears. In a way I deal with a similar fear of ending up where I’ve been fighting all my life to get away from and the way you connected art and overall told this story was beautiful.

  • @lily_lxndr
    @lily_lxndr 3 роки тому +2

    I loved hearing your take on End of Olsons, the painting was super striking but I couldn’t put my finger on why. This was a great watch!!

  • @emilykval
    @emilykval 3 роки тому +3

    This video found me in the middle of a breakup. I hope I can try and re-frame my loneliness to not be all negative. Thank you so much

  • @TheDaeldren
    @TheDaeldren 3 роки тому +2

    Wyeth had a unique touch, I’m not exactly sure if it was his color choices or brushwork that he could infer a lot of emotion in what would seem to be just a natural scene. I myself have found a lot of focus lately on Edward Hopper, maybe because I travel a lot for work and Hopper seemed to focus a lot on strangers gathered in one place but far from home.

  • @deborahm6036
    @deborahm6036 3 роки тому

    Really fascinating to me. Andrew Wyeth was one of my favorite artists growing up. The Wyeth Museum in Chadds Ford and Maine were two of the places that my parents took us frequently. A time out for real happiness. The paintings you loved, were the paintings I loved. I grew up in New York City and Washington, DC. I always thought that if only I could live somewhere quieter, lonelier, and more remote, life would be splendid. And guess what - it is. It took decades, but I now live in the Black Hills of South Dakota. I write this in the middle of the night alone in a snowstorm, and all is peace and stillness. Bliss! So interesting how we both were so connected to the same things, yet coming from two very different perspectives. Great Art will do that; speaking to different people’s truths. I just subscribed. Bravo!

  • @ethemreal
    @ethemreal 3 роки тому +16

    I find it so interesting to hear about how other artists think of art, and what they want from it. One of my biggest hopes for my own art is that it will manage to both feed me, And fade away quickly once I am gone. I have no desire for a lasting legacy.
    I always thought Andrew Wyeth's paintings looked like blissful solitude, not loneliness. I think Maine looks like what people think Washington looks like. I would love to visit it someday, and see for myself how it compares against media interpretations.

    • @CatherineGraffam
      @CatherineGraffam  3 роки тому +5

      I think Maine is probably a lot more boring than most people think! I very much want to visit Washington.

  • @DamianNeriArt
    @DamianNeriArt 3 роки тому +6

    Cat, thank you for this video. I admire you and I hope you keep finding little strands of peace trough art.

  • @TaraRaeDev
    @TaraRaeDev 3 роки тому +2

    So beautiful! I loved it! Growing up, there was a print of Christina's World hanging somewhere I can't remember... maybe in our own home. Over time these popular pieces end up feeling kinda... you know... So it's really great seeing it with a renewed beauty and personal perspective that resonates with me.

  • @random_person2369
    @random_person2369 3 роки тому

    I'm half the world away, in another Hemisphere, in a completely different culture and background yet there was something extremely personal about the way you narrated loneliness. I have no personal attachments to Maine and this was the first time I ever heard of Andrew Wyeth, but I understood it (or at least part of it, I won't paint myself as the sudden expert). I see two themes that I find beyond compelling. Turning loneliness into art, the little ways that it carries over both to Wyeth's paintings and what you view in them; and how you're raw and genuine about your hopes and dreams. I see an artist that found comfort in another artist's pieces, hoping to create something similar to someone else. Loving your content, looking forward to seeing what else you come up with. Thank you for the little taste of Maine! From a Brazilian fan.

  • @stratovolcano7813
    @stratovolcano7813 3 роки тому

    This video made me really want to see if there were any interesting painters who painted the bush where I grew up. It was a really beautiful, evocative video, that I immediately related to from just the opening line. I like that you recreated christina’s world in the first shot. I’m glad that, despite the isolation, you still had some sense of connectedness. I hope the world gets less lonely for you soon. 💜

  • @vivaldoferreira42
    @vivaldoferreira42 3 роки тому

    Your courage and honesty inspire. As an artist myself, I embrace loneliness and am thankful that my life partner understands that loneliness is very much a part of my creative personality. Love this video and happy to have run into you on youtube. You are a brilliant, thoughtful and beautiful person. Be well and much admiration to you.

  • @wesleyyoung4063
    @wesleyyoung4063 2 роки тому

    I find you are a very beautiful person--in all senses of the word--who talks beautifully about beautiful things. Thank you for both sharing of yourself and the works that you enjoy.

  • @mockingbird3099
    @mockingbird3099 3 роки тому

    I had wanted in younger years to bicycle across the country to the coast of Maine. I thoroughly enjoyed your narration.

  • @patriciavillegas6055
    @patriciavillegas6055 3 роки тому

    I love to watch your videos. The tone of your voices relaxes me and so easy to understand. Interesting topics. Keep up the good work. You are one of favorites to watch. Thank you

  • @bobbledstudios7476
    @bobbledstudios7476 2 роки тому

    Wow! What a nice surprise. I started with your evil NFT video and then this one. I was captivated by your thoughtfulness, honesty, insight and humor. A couple of months ago I was sketching away at a figure drawing session and I commented on the pose the model was striking. I said that it reminded me of that painting of a woman on the ground in a field looking at a house in the distance. Now I know the name of the artist, the painting and something about Maine. Thank you.

  • @lucilleavakian833
    @lucilleavakian833 3 роки тому

    I live in Delaware. I left to avoid bullying and boredom I moved to NYC in 1982 when I was 16. After 7 interesting, painful and energetic years I returned to Delaware. After a few years I landed a job in the Education Depoartment of the Delaware Art Museum. I became quite more aware of the Wyeths and their museum nearby in PA. One evening at an upscale Italian restaurant where one of the DAM wealthy volunteers treated my department to dinner, we saw Andrew Wyeth come in and dine with a companion. He was wearing his crazy soldier of yore looking coat that was worn and had many brass buttons. Somehow it didn't register to me that he went to and painted in Maine. Up until today I thought that Christina's world was in Pennsylvania. Ooof! Being an incarnate being is challenging... for me anyway. I enjoy your ideas and your videos. I am also now an official Smarty Pants. I have homeschooled my kid since kindergarten and I think your content will be helpful for our instruction.

  • @SaddestAlice
    @SaddestAlice 3 роки тому

    This video is so sad and beautiful and moving.

  • @PamelasEngel
    @PamelasEngel 2 роки тому

    Thank you for sharing your personal experiences and your thoughts on Wyeth. Really well done.

  • @syntext
    @syntext 3 роки тому

    There's something depressing in general about New England life. Maybe it's the isolation or the attitudes of the people, but I felt much the same way in New Hampshire as you do in Maine. Depression still follows to the cities, but you're not forced to confront it the way you are in the forest, or in the mountains, or on a cold and empty coast line. Thanks for all you do.

    • @CatherineGraffam
      @CatherineGraffam  3 роки тому +1

      As someone who lived in NH for 6 years, NH was easily the most depressing place I’ve lived. It may have been that I was in manchvegas, but oof. I’ll say the people here in Maine are much nicer and the vibe is much more friendly!!

    • @syntext
      @syntext 3 роки тому

      @@CatherineGraffam Yeeeeah Manchester is definitely a downer. My friend found a body in the snow there one winter, no lie. Glad you got out of there, hopefully Maine is treating you better even if you have to be reminded of your childhood constantly.

  • @TaylaChan
    @TaylaChan 3 роки тому

    What an intense and somber experience. Amazing video.

  • @thetrueholybob434
    @thetrueholybob434 2 роки тому

    loved it. I respect personal journal videos and wanted to support you and your expression.

  • @yasirhameed4898
    @yasirhameed4898 3 роки тому +1

    I inhereted 3 books on Andrew Wyeth from my dad. This video brought back so many memories for me. Thanks for making it.

  • @GardensBetweenUs
    @GardensBetweenUs 3 роки тому +2

    This was such a beautiful essay, Cat! I experience chronic loneliness as well, through different means, and this really resonated with me. My father's family is from the Thumb region of Michigan and it has a similar vibe to Maine's coast, I think. Replace the sea grass with fields of corn and the Atlantic with Lake Huron. I love Wyeth's work, for his creeping loneliness and exquisite details. Sea Boots is on view at the Detroit Institute of Arts and it's one of my top three must see every time I visit.

  • @dirkvoltaar
    @dirkvoltaar 3 роки тому

    Hi Cat. Loved this video! It really resonated. Just joined your Patreon. Thanks for your work. You're never lonely online...

  • @nickmandleberg
    @nickmandleberg 3 роки тому

    I found your channel after watching your NFT video - I have no clue about visual art (I am musically inclined) but this was so different, enjoyable and informative that I subbed - please do more video essays in the future! It's so interesting to learn about visual art and you seem like a genuinely good person.

  • @mintbearjr
    @mintbearjr 3 роки тому +1

    can you tell your cat i said "pspspspsps"?
    also goofs aside, i get so genuinely excited when you post a new video! this one in particular was so wonderful and i'd love to see you make more of this format in the future if you really want to ;u;

    • @CatherineGraffam
      @CatherineGraffam  3 роки тому +1

      Ahhh that means a lot! I plan on making more videos in this format. Still kind of finding my voice with video, hoping to become more creative as my cinematography chops grow.

  • @runnythewolf1
    @runnythewolf1 3 роки тому +2

    i utterly love your work and youre a great inspiration!! and i was very happy to see you made a video essay!! i didnt knew!! id love to see more videos like this!
    they are very interesting , keep up the good work! :DDD

  • @cenizothefox
    @cenizothefox 3 роки тому +1

    This was a lovely watch, Cat. The nature there is so extremely different than my home. I’d be too enthralled by the landscape for those feelings to sink in.

  • @Iffyish
    @Iffyish 3 роки тому

    I really enjoy your video essays👏

  • @irenethecastlerose1147
    @irenethecastlerose1147 2 роки тому

    this was beautiful, thank you Cat ♥

  • @TheChiefRockah
    @TheChiefRockah 3 роки тому

    I am living in solitude as an artist as well. Good luck with your work! Thx for the insights!

  • @morganjanearcane2553
    @morganjanearcane2553 3 роки тому

    Life-long New Englander here - Cold, gray, damp loneliness gang checking in. I grew up an only child and I felt very isolated (my parents were no company) and when I wasn't in school I was probably by myself. Instead of the remote, woodsy upper new england, I was in overdeveloped, drab suburban southern new england. I sometimes fantasize about living in the remote middle of nowhere, but I struggle when I imagine it. Instead I keep going more towards Boston. The isolation gets to me too much, and I don't know that I'd be able to lose the childhood loneliness, either. Maybe when I dwell on that time I sometimes think of as lost, maybe I'll try and think instead of the Olsen house and Wyeth's studio, and how I can review and refurbish that time into something important and formative, not a waste.
    Anyway, I wonder if I've got some lighthouse paintings in my closet I can put up, soon? And sea shells. Gotta look like an overpriced Massachusetts airbnb. That's where true fulfillment comes from.

  • @lucasmarques1045
    @lucasmarques1045 3 роки тому

    I only found your channel recently and this video is such a treasure. I loved it a lot

  • @dayles9326
    @dayles9326 3 роки тому

    Beautiful. Thank you for sharing

  • @evilcaptainred
    @evilcaptainred 2 роки тому

    I’m embarrassed that I am familiar with the illustrator and not the painter (until now)! Thanks for this wonderful vid!

  • @metzilmazatl
    @metzilmazatl 3 роки тому

    I watched this at the perfect moment in my life of hermeticism. Thank you.

  • @GisyAngel
    @GisyAngel 3 роки тому +1

    You are very brave and this is a beautiful video

  • @m0rla_
    @m0rla_ 3 роки тому

    Thank you Cat(s).

  • @SpaceBandit666
    @SpaceBandit666 Рік тому

    Wow this was a beautiful essay

  • @UliTroyo
    @UliTroyo 2 роки тому

    Great essay! I love your content.

  • @rachelwold697
    @rachelwold697 3 роки тому

    Thank you for sharing! 💕

  • @jimjohngirard
    @jimjohngirard 3 роки тому +2

    Many, many years ago when I was a young man, about 19years old, I met Andrew Wyeth. I was a student at the Cleveland Institute of Art and I admired his work, so, like a dummy, I hitchhiked from Ohio to Chadd's Ford, PA and knocked on his door. He and his wife invited me in and after dinner and a lot of fun talk and a tour of his home and all his original paintings, they invited me to stay the night in their Granary building....I'll never forget it. Thank you so much for your video.....you're a good man.

    • @CatherineGraffam
      @CatherineGraffam  3 роки тому +2

      Wow, that is wild! Thank you for sharing. Not a man, though.

    • @jimjohngirard
      @jimjohngirard 3 роки тому

      @@CatherineGraffam good person....all the best in your life!

  • @amechanicaldisaster
    @amechanicaldisaster 3 роки тому

    This was beautiful, and provided great context to getting better understanding of an artist I tend to overlook.

  • @udsting
    @udsting 3 роки тому

    Hello fellow New England (fmr.) nomad. Thanks for putting words to the feeling, it do be like that.

  • @sergiovieira1053
    @sergiovieira1053 3 роки тому

    Excellent essay! Thanks for this video and for all that information about Andrew Wyeth, who was a painter I only knew from his "Christina's world". ;) Suddenly this painting took on a whole new meaning!

  • @quailbert2680
    @quailbert2680 3 роки тому +1

    Finally got around to watching this, and hot guacamole. What a video.
    Thank you Cat, I was entertained throughout my entire chimichanga.

  • @benwrex6280
    @benwrex6280 3 роки тому

    Great vid as always Cat

  • @RavenFoxx
    @RavenFoxx 3 роки тому

    This was a very beautiful video. Thank you for this. :)

  • @fiercerodent
    @fiercerodent Рік тому

    Clicked bc I have that exact same cat suit - stayed for the essay.

  • @JennyGranberry
    @JennyGranberry 3 роки тому

    Lovely video!

  • @michellefrank3952
    @michellefrank3952 3 роки тому

    Nice video essay.

  • @squid24736
    @squid24736 3 роки тому

    things I didn't know I needed in my life: this

  • @TheTucker97
    @TheTucker97 3 роки тому

    this was lovely, thank you for sharing!

  • @bazteki8564
    @bazteki8564 3 роки тому

    Really resonated w this one ❤️

  • @margitilika369
    @margitilika369 3 роки тому

    You are wonderful. ( I left my heart on deer aisle)

  • @is_this_the_real_life_or
    @is_this_the_real_life_or Рік тому

    Wow, thank you

  • @Fyrsiel
    @Fyrsiel 3 роки тому +1

    This was really interesting! Also loved seeing those two furry lil' kittos.

  • @Nick_CF
    @Nick_CF 3 роки тому

    I spent a couple years in Maine. Our sub was in the shipyard for overhaul. I almost made Kittery my home after getting out but after a failed engagement and massive alcohol addicition I...well...didn't. Best thing that happened to me to be honest.

  • @eig
    @eig 3 роки тому

    this was beautiful -- ty cat

  • @TooFatTooFurious
    @TooFatTooFurious 3 роки тому

    Wonderful video. I would love to see more like it

  • @starsandmoonsabove
    @starsandmoonsabove 3 роки тому

    Yes, would love more essays like this 💖

  • @victormena4147
    @victormena4147 2 роки тому

    Cat what would you recommend I,m in disable I like to draw and pair amateur of course. To entertiNmyself. Thanks 😊

  • @MrGolibroda
    @MrGolibroda 2 роки тому

    This sparrow on the roof really made me sad. He must loved her very deeply.

  • @XerxesTexasToast
    @XerxesTexasToast 3 роки тому +2

    Lost my fucking mind at that cat in the woods
    the Cat in the woods was a very pleasant scene overall as well

    • @XerxesTexasToast
      @XerxesTexasToast 3 роки тому

      God this was really moving and thoughtful, I really enjoyed watching this

    • @CatherineGraffam
      @CatherineGraffam  3 роки тому

      Thank you!! I’ll extend the complement to Puff the cat

  • @zationonion
    @zationonion 3 роки тому +3

    I enjoyed this. I always wanted to own a barn in a place nobody knows about :)

  • @vootins4410
    @vootins4410 3 роки тому

    As someone who escaped from Maine, and as a trans woman, this video really got to me. Also, I had a disgruntled art history professor at the University of Maine who talked a lot about Christina's World and its history.

  • @invalidletterdept2662
    @invalidletterdept2662 3 роки тому

    Christie Front Drive is my go-to, feeling lonely Midwest Emo band 😊

  • @vikort1612
    @vikort1612 3 роки тому

    Very poetic execution of analysis of Andrew Wyeth's work, I am now invested in his art; where can I find the catalogue you have of Wyeth's work?

    • @CatherineGraffam
      @CatherineGraffam  3 роки тому +1

      A few books that I have that I'd recommend are:
      Andrew Wyeth: People & Places
      Two Worlds of Andrew Wyeth
      Unknown Terrain: The Landscapes of Andrew Wyeth

  • @thegreatwindmill
    @thegreatwindmill 3 роки тому

    I loved this video!!

  • @TatteredDemalion
    @TatteredDemalion 3 роки тому +1

    Loved this video! Made me think about things, so I'd love to see more. Reminds me of art history classes I took in college, and I really enjoyed those.

  • @kanrup5199
    @kanrup5199 2 роки тому

    I guess you have to be willing to travel further, be more active with making friendships, and willing to be more social when there is possibility of that. But where I live is not that far away.

  • @mynameismar
    @mynameismar 3 роки тому

    UNTIL NEXT TIME!! 👁👅👁

  • @chrisgriffith1573
    @chrisgriffith1573 2 роки тому

    Lobster. Maine is known for LOBSTER? Nothing better than a lobster taco for lunch...

  • @snager80
    @snager80 3 роки тому

    I can't imagine being able to afford a house, but I can imagine chosing not to anyway
    I hope you can afford to move far away from Maine some day, if it still bothers you

  • @roumdboi
    @roumdboi 3 роки тому

    So happy to have found your channel ^____^ looking forward to seeing more content!!! What are your pronouns if I may ask? :)

  • @kloetuserroetus1374
    @kloetuserroetus1374 3 роки тому

    Paine

  • @sophie7546
    @sophie7546 3 роки тому

  • @chrisr.2013
    @chrisr.2013 3 роки тому

    Love your videos, but racism is in Maine too. Racism is as American as Maine. In the same way colorism, Sexism, homophobia, and transphobia.

  • @Lambda_Ovine
    @Lambda_Ovine 2 роки тому

    I don't want to be transphobic but I'm broke, help!

  • @chrisgriffith1573
    @chrisgriffith1573 2 роки тому

    God you are in a emo state. REGAIN YOUR HUMOR! Shake it off!

  • @BlindDrunk
    @BlindDrunk 3 роки тому +3

    Absolutely phenomenal, as always!