The pickup 2008

Jamie Wyeth made this painting of a pickup truck using tempera on board. I can almost see him, peering intently, squinting a little maybe, and then making a very purposeful but somehow free mark. I think, “that’s a Wyeth”, it looks how his paintings feel. The painting is smooth, almost glossy and it makes me think of egg yolks. This pickup truck is monumental, and I wonder if it feels that way to the driver. I wonder if the driver even sees it anymore. The words 'Tenants Harbour Boat Yard' are painted on the truck's door, like a memory of a life lived by the sea. Wyeth’s paintings often invite us into his world, a very particular and personal vision, and yet I am also drawn into my own memories and experiences when I look at it. He shares something with other American painters, like Edward Hopper, but there is still something utterly distinct about his work. Painting is always a conversation. We all borrow from one another, steal from one another, respond to one another, and rebel against one another.