The freedom and intimacy of visiting the Kuerner family’s farm was an important inspiration for Andrew Wyeth’s work.
Premieres Friday, September 7 at 10 p.m. on PBS (check local listings)
TRANSCRIPT
Andy explained this one time early early only coming up over the hill and you see this little farm And he felt like you know, he was in Switzerland. Just seeing this little farm nestled from the hill There's an intimacy about this place. There's a magic, the excitement of the unknown This farm he'd walk over here from our house, which is just over the hill and, um, just disappear into the Kuerner world.
The Kuerners were tremendously forbearing neighbors in that they just let Andy Wyeth come and go like a ghost.
I mean, he liked it that way.
Growing up you would see this figure coming in and out which was Andy observing him living his life and him observing us living ours.
He didn't really want to upset their daily life and they just let him creep through the house and then disappear.
I think he really enjoyed that voyeuristic aspect. It was fabulous freedom for him and a sense of his own domain where he could be like a fly on the wall and watched them.
I lost my father in an accident right near where Kuerners lived And I regretted it so that I hadn't done his portrait And, Carl reminded me of my father in many ways. Carl was a much more Germanic looking man, but they've both had that tough quality Germanic power And I realized that here was my father still alive.