Farnsworth Art Museum, in the small coastal town of Rockland, Maine, is the perfect example of this phenomenon. Founded in 1948, the museum displays approximately 15,000 works of American art from the 18th century to the present day, the quality of which could stand up to any major metropolitan collection. Particularly, the museum’s vast collection of works from three generations of Wyeths– the famous family of artists renowned for capturing the essence of the American experience. From the Wyeths to Edward Hopper to George Bellows, the museum’s perhaps most interesting aspect is the mission and tether that holds the impressive collection together: to celebrate Maine’s role in American art. 

We spoke with David Troup, who’s worked for Farnsworth Art Museum for sixteen years as Communications and Marketing Manager, to learn more about how the museum achieves this distinct mission. 

How the Farnsworth Celebrates Maine’s Place in American Art

The artists whose work is displayed at the museum have various levels of connection to the state, but all have something in common: Maine has at some point inspired their artistic works. 

“When you look at the names of the artists who have called Maine home or who have come to Maine in years gone by– including the 19th century, 20th century and still today– because of the lower cost of living, you’re dealing with some of the greatest names in American art history. From the Bellows and the Homers to Hopper,” Troup said. 

The lower cost of living and natural beauty are the two main draws that have long had artists flocking to Maine. 

“The great move that happened post-World War II when Alex Katz and so many of his contemporaries moved up to Maine, because they had been working in tiny lofts in New York City and suddenly found they could– for a tenth of the price– get a house with some land,” Troup said.

Instead of taking the subway for an hour to find a natural setting for plein-air painting, these artists could step into their own backyard and find immediate inspiration. So whether from artists who were born and raised in Maine or spent time working in the Pine Tree State, each of the Farnsworth galleries celebrate one aspect or another of their Maine-focused mission.

Three Generations of the Wyeth Family at the Farnsworth

Another notable aspect of the Farnsworth’s collection is their Wyeth connection. The museum displays artwork from three generations of the renowned family of American artists, from N.C. to Andrew to Jamie. Because of its association with the Wyeth Foundation of American Art, the museum has access to the 7,000 works by Andrew Wyeth, only 11% of which have ever been exhibited. Troup said over the next few years, Farnsworth Art Museum and Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania will be exploring and revealing these works through many different themes.

N.C. Wyeth, Treasure Island, 1997

The Wyeths’ connection to Maine began in 1920 when N.C. Wyeth– legendary illustrator and patriarch of the artistic family– bought a country house in Port Clyde, Maine (about 20 minutes away from the current location of the Farnsworth). Thus the family spent their summers in the area, as the next two generations of Wyeths came of age into their own artistic careers. 

Andrew Wyeth, son of N.C., is celebrated for his realistic and detailed depictions of rural life and landscapes, particularly in the Brandywine Valley of Pennsylvania and coastal Maine.

“The works of Andrew Wyeth that we show here in our collection were all painted here in Maine,” Troup said. “If you go to the Brandywine in Pennsylvania, they showcase the works he did at Kuerner Farm and near Chadds Ford. So those are the Pennsylvania works and we’re split very clearly along those lines.”

Andrew Wyeth, Her Room, 1963

Son of Andrew Jamie Wyeth’s art has continued the family tradition of capturing the landscapes and people of rural America, but with a more contemporary and often surreal twist. 

Troup said Farnsworth’s relationship with the Wyeths goes back to 1944, four years before the museum opened to the public. Many times, a museum is started when an art collector dies and their personal collection becomes a museum. 

“That’s not what happened here,” Troup said. “What happened here was that Lucy Farnsworth left $1.3 million for a museum to be built, but there was no collection. A man by the name of Robert Bellows started purchasing works to add to the collection. And one of the first artists he zeroed in on was a young, still unknown Andrew Wyeth in New York. He purchased six works in 1944, four years before the museum opened.”

Planning a Visit to the Farnsworth

Lynne Drexler, Saha, 1959, Oil on canvas

Maine may be the common link between all the work at Farnsworth, but that inspiration manifested across a wide array of artistic forms. The museum is home to art of every style of work, from oil paintings to sculpture to video art. You have Lynne Drexler’s abstract bursts of color in oil paint. Jason Brown (also known as Firefly) is a member of the Penobscot Nation who works in digital film and composes his own music. Jeremy Frey is renowned as a skilled basket weaver, working out of Maine to create his masterpieces with ash and porcupine quills. The variety and creativity Farnsworth has on display truly has no bounds. 

Reflecting its setting in the small Maine town, the museum atmosphere is warm, personable and friendly. It’s primarily a gallery-centric experience with some immersive, video displays as well. 

Apart from the main museum, you can visit The Farnsworth Homestead, the 19th-century home of museum benefactor Lucy Farnsworth. Additionally, there’s the Olson House, a National Historic Landmark well-known as the setting of Andrew Wyeth’s “Christina’s World” and around 300 other paintings.

Andrew Wyeth, Christina’s World, 1948

As a New Yorker with an art background, Troup recalled visiting Farnsworth Art Museum for the first time when he and his wife moved to Maine. 

“I walked into Farnsworth and I really couldn’t believe the quality of the works that were on view,” Troup said. “It’s not what I was expecting in a small town on the seaside in Maine.”

Goes Well With This Journey:

Islands and Inlets: Maine Maritime Adventures: With thousands of miles of jagged coastline; countless rugged islands, inland lakes and ponds; a labyrinth of streams and rivers; and a culture still driven by nautical history, Maine is a place best discovered on the water. Whether pulling traps on a lobster boat, paddling deep-woods ponds in search of moose, or commuting between islands by mail boat, this adventurous Maine road trip offers a new experience on the water nearly every day. In the evenings, rest your head on dry land while listening to lapping water and loon calls from your secluded inn or lodge.

The post The Wyeths: Three Generations of Artistic Legacy in Coastal Maine appeared first on All Roads North.

Take this opportunity to do a little armchair traveling to get inspired for your next adventure. 

Desert Solitaire

by Edward Abbey

This iconic piece of nature writing, based on Abbey’s summer stints as an Arches National Park ranger in the late 1950s, remains as relevant now as it was when published in 1968. While on a quest to experience nature in its purest form, Abbey explores the paradox of existing as a solitary, independent man in the desert, while still participating as a member of the greater ecosystem. Readers will find a lot to think on and to anticipate with Abbey’s vivid descriptions of the harsh Southwestern landscapes near Moab woven into his message of conservation. 

Goes Well With:  An Odyssey Through Utah’s National Parks and The Life of a Backcountry Guide in Utah’s Remote Escalante Canyons

My First Summer in the Sierra

by John Muir

This account of John Muir’s first encounters with the Yosemite Valley has been luring visitors to California since this book was published in 1911. Follow along as “The Father of the National Parks” and founder of the Sierra Club spends the summer of 1869 working as a shepherd in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. 

The budding naturalist’s notes are flush with detailed descriptions of the Sierra’s flora and fauna, tales of explorations of now-famous landmarks, and several life lessons Muir gleaned from four months of sheep observation. This is a must-read before exploring any of the areas Muir later worked to conserve. 

Goes Well With: Stunning Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks 

American Serengeti

by Dan Flores

Bison, pronghorn antelope, wild horses, grey wolves and grizzly bears are species that Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Park visitors count themselves lucky to see today. According to environmental historian Dan Flores,  just 200 years ago these same species were roaming the American plains in numbers we can’t fathom. 

Flores follows the sagas of six different species over thousands of years until their respective declines at the hands of pioneers, hunters, ranchers and federal killing programs in the 19th and 20th centuries. This, combined with the “Big History” of the grassland ecosystems we encounter in the American West, will give readers a deeper appreciation for the vistas and wildlife encounters in the Western states. 

Goes Well With: Zapata Ranch: Shirkers Need Not Apply

The Lobster Chronicles: Life on a Very Small Island

by Linda Greenlaw

Travel to the Isle au Haut, a tiny island in Maine’s Acadia National Park with 70 year-round residents, 30 of whom are related to author Linda Greenlaw.  After a lengthy and high-risk career as a sword-fisherman (which landed her a role in the famous The Perfect Storm), Greenlaw returns to rural island life.  

The account balances the lighter sides of rediscovering her family and home with the darker aspects of island life, including boating accidents and conflicts that can rock small communities.  If the descriptions of Acadia’s landscapes aren’t enough to get you excited about coastal Maine, the description of the seafood certainly will.

Goes Well With: Luxury Holiday to New England

American Wolf

by Nate Blakeslee

The grey wolf’s presence has been one of the most polarizing issues of the American West since populations were reintroduced in the 1990s. In American Wolf, Blakeslee uses O-Six, a grey alpha matriarch with a rabid social media following, to illustrate the wolf’s struggle to reclaim its place and restore balance in Yellowstone National Park.  

Blakeslee collaborates with park ranger Rick McIntyre, who spent 15 years carefully following the wolf’s return to the park.  Together, they follow O-Six’s pack and observe the pressures they face from ranchers, hunters, politicians and well-meaning tourists, all of whom affect where and how wolves can live.

Goes Well With: Wolves, Wildfire and Water

Undaunted Courage

by Steven E. Ambrose

Follow the Corps of Discovery’s epic adventure across the Great Plains, over the Rocky Mountains, and down the Columbia River from the perspective of Captain Meriwether Lewis. Lewis and Clark may be household names, but Undaunted Courage supplies a wealth of previously unknown information, while capturing the suspense, political drama, romance, tragedy and danger that accompanied the 8,000 mile journey.  Ambrose provides context for the expedition within the Jefferson Presidency, early Native American policies, and the opening of the West to the nation. 

Goes Well With: Yellowstone and Grand Teton Road Trip 

The post Adventures of the Mind: Six Armchair Reads for Exploring America’s Wild Places appeared first on All Roads North.