Christina's World

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Christina's World

Andrew Wyeth, 1948

Tempera on panel

32 inches × 48 inches cm

Museum of Modern Art, New York City

Christina's World is the most famous work by American painter Andrew Wyeth, and one of the best-known American paintings of the 20th century. Painted in 1948, this tempera work is displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It depicts Christina Olson, who had an undiagnosed muscular deterioration that paralyzed her lower body—likely Polio. She was a strong and independent woman who did not let anything stop her from getting what and where she wanted. She looks at her house, (implied line) dreading the crawl back but eager for the warmth it holds for her.^[1] She, her brother, and Wyeth's neighbors are the subjects of a number of paintings of Wyeth. Surprisingly, although Christina is the artistic subject of Wyeth's masterpiece, she was not the model - Wyeth's wife Betsy instead posed for the painting.^[2]

The house in Cushing, Maine, where Wyeth had been staying when he saw the scene that inspired the painting, still stands. Wyeth took artistic license in its depiction, separating the barn from the house and changing the lay of the land. Known as the Olson house, it is on the National Register of Historic Places.

[edit] References in popular culture

• In the novel A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews, Nomi Nickel hangs a Christina's World poster up in her room.
• It figures briefly on a postcard in the movie "The In Crowd" (2000) starring Susan Ward and Lori Heuring.
• The painting features briefly in the comic book series Preacher by Garth Ennis. Jesse Custer views the painting, his mother's favorite, at the MOMA. There is another issue which itself is entitled "Christina's World"; the Glenn Fabry-painted cover is a reference to the original.
• A parody version of the painting appeared in The Simpsons episode "Springfield Up". The painting was identical to the real one, except for featuring Mr. Burns in Christina's place.
• In the DVD extras to the movie Tideland, director Terry Gilliam cites Christina's World as an inspiration in setting the backdrop and mood for the movie. The same extras claim that the author of the book was also inspired by this same painting.
• What appears to be this painting appears as a prop in performances of the Blue Man Group. The prop actually uses a removable Christina, which is revealed when removed with a vacuum.
• In 2000, MAD Magazine released its annual list of the "Dumbest People, Events, and Things" of the previous year. A full-page parody of the painting depicted Hillary Rodham Clinton in the field, with the U.S. Capitol in the distance, lampooning her campaign to become senator of New York State.
• In the novel The Dark Tower by Stephen King, Jake's favourite painting.
• In "Method to His Madness" an episode of the television series Medium.
• In the Mystery Science Theater 3000 Episode S07 E06 Laserblast, a weird ugly alien dude with a gun arm, falls down and Tom Servo says "Ah, Christina's World 3001."
• In the pilot episode of Cinematic Titanic, Trace Beaulieu compares a shot to the painting and exclaims "Look it up."
• In the science fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke 2001 A Space Odyssey it is one of the two paintings Dave Bowman sees hanging on the wall at the reception stage of his journey. Chapter 44 "Reception", page 237: "Van Gough's Bridge at Arles was hanging on one wall—Wyeth's Cristina's World was hanging on another"
• The Dutch novel Want dit is mijn lichaam from Renate Dorrestein describes a fictitious story behind this masterpiece.
• The Invincible Iron Man Volume 4, issue 27 features a two page spread featuring an homage to Christina's World in which Iron Man is Christina and has been thrown by an explosion through the farm house leaving the ground upturned in his crash landing.

[edit] References

• Christina's World in the MoMA Online Collection