The great cloud built form of the Giant

August 8, 2024 4:07 AM

"The Giant by N. C. Wyeth (1882 – 1945) has hung in the Dining Room of Westtown School since 1923, a memorial from members of the Westtown Class of 1910 to their deceased classmate, William Clothier Engle (1891 – 1916). Commissioned by the class, the painting pays tribute to an artistic young man lost in the prime of his life." A short film was recently released to explore the painting and its significance further. "Headmaster James Walker and his wife picked up the painting at Wyeth’s studio and carried it back to the school in an orchard truck." At the Brandywine Museum of Art.
posted by cupcakeninja (11 comments total)

This is heartbreaking and beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

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posted by Silvery Fish at 4:20 AM on August 8 [2 favorites]

I enjoyed learning that Andrew Wyeth is portrayed in that painting.
posted by MtDewd at 6:54 AM on August 8 [2 favorites]

I was prepared to find that he'd died in the trenches in France, but at least it was not that.

Another too-early death from TB was George Orwell, who died just a few years before effective treatment for TB became a thing.
posted by Aardvark Cheeselog at 7:31 AM on August 8 [2 favorites]

I would be very interested to see Engle’s paintings that he completed in West Branch, Iowa as I live 30 minutes from there.
posted by Big Al 8000 at 8:13 AM on August 8 [1 favorite]

NC Wyeth used egg tempera for many of his paintings, which have a very rich and luscious depth as a result. It seems a medium highly matched to the fantastical children's book subjects in his work. Seeing these paintings on a computer screen doesn't do them justice.

If you are ever in the vicinity of the museum, I highly recommend a visit. You'll see some of his work mentioned in the link, as well as by his son Andrew and grandson Jamie. It is free to get in and is situated on a lovely and tranquil bit of the Brandywine river, perfect for a picnic or even just contemplation.
posted by They sucked his brains out! at 8:31 AM on August 8 [4 favorites]

OMG, Engel is the spitting image of my son's friend!

Wyeth is one of my favorite artists. I love knowing that he was onboard with this commission. :7)
posted by wenestvedt at 9:05 AM on August 8 [1 favorite]

Great story, thanks for the post! I went to high school nearby and was in the same sports league —Westtown are famous for their brown “UPS man” uniforms.

NC Wyeth also painted mural for us . Now, what that link doesn’t tell you is that Wyeth was expressly forbidden from using the likenesses of actual students in the painting but apparently he was a renegade and did it anyway. Apparently Mrs du Pont, the donor of the mural, was so incensed that they made Wyeth come back and genericize the boys’ faces.

However, he left a little token of his ingratitude. The school’s motto, inscribed on the base of the Alma Mater statue at left, is ΠΙΣΤΙΣ ΚΑΙ ΕΠΙΣΤΗΜΗ (pistis kai episteme), which means “faith and knowledge” in ancient Greek, a language so beloved of Mr du Pont that it inscribes his tombstone. Through some subtle brushwork, the pi’s were turned to gammas and the inscription was altered to read ΓΙΣΤΙΣ ΚΑΙ ΕΓΙΣΤΗΜΗ (gistis kai egisteme), which means nothing at all in ancient Greek. I’m not sure when they caught the change but it still stands, corruption and all, over 85 years later.
posted by Maecenas at 9:14 AM on August 8 [5 favorites]

what a beautiful painting (and tragic but beautiful story) the painting really captures a feeling of the New Jersey shore that is difficult to experience, with crowds etc., if you are lucky to be there at the right time, when the light is just so and no sound but the birds. Wyeth captured that perfectly. A lovely tribute.
posted by supermedusa at 10:34 AM on August 8 [1 favorite]

You can buy a print here. It ain't cheap, but maybe someday.
posted by JustSayNoDawg at 12:29 PM on August 8 [2 favorites]

i appreciated learning about Howard Pyle [illustrationhistory]
posted by HearHere at 6:14 PM on August 8 [1 favorite]

I saw this painting in an NC Wyeth exhibition and it was awe-inspiring. It’s much bigger than its dimensions.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 6:05 AM on August 9 [1 favorite]