Screen Door to the Sea 1994

Jamie Wyeth made this striking painting, 'Screen Door to the Sea,' with oil on canvas, and what grabs me is the moodiness and the tension of the real versus the dream. The surface has a layered quality, like he's building up these memories or impressions, and I can almost feel the texture of the old wooden door, the cool light coming through the screen, and the young man's stillness, which all seem to be captured with thin layers of glaze. It's like Wyeth is inviting us into a private world, but keeping us at a distance, too. Look at the clock looming over the scene. This gives the piece a slightly surreal edge, but also gives a timeless quality to the work. It reminds me a little of Edward Hopper, that sense of quiet observation and understated drama, but with Wyeth's own distinct touch. Both artists embrace the ambiguity of human experience, and you get the impression this might be the work of someone thinking about the passage of time.