US #5212d
2017 “Alvaro and Christina” – Paintings by Andrew Wyeth

• One of 12 stamps celebrating the 100th birth anniversary of Andrew Wyeth

Stamp Category: Commemorative
Set: Paintings by Andrew Wyeth
Value: 49¢ First Class Mail Rate (Forever)
First Day of Issue: July 12, 2017
First Day City: Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania
Quantity Issued: 25,200,000
Printed by: Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd.
Printing Method: Offset
Format: Panes of 12
Tagging: Nonphosphored Type III, Block Tag

Why the stamp was issued: For the 100th birth anniversary of famed American artist Andrew Wyeth.

About the stamp design: Pictures the Andrew Wyeth painting “Alvaro and Christina” (1968).

First Day City: The First Day of Issue Ceremony was held in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, the location of Andrew Wyeth’s home and studio.

About the Paintings by Andrew Wyeth set: Includes 12 stamps issued for the 100th birth anniversary of Andrew Wyeth. Designs picture the Andrew Wyeth paintings “Wind from the Sea” (1947), “Big Room” (1988), “Christina’s World” (1948), “Alvaro and Christina” (1968), “Frostbitten” (1962), “Sailor’s Valentine” (1985), “Soaring” (1942-1950), “North Light” (1984), “Spring Fed” (1967), “The Carry” (2003), “Young Bull” (1960), and “My Studio” (1974). The selvage of the pane of 12 pictures a black-and-white photograph of Andrew Wyeth from the 1930s.

History the stamp represents: One of the things that made Andrew Wyeth a great artist was his creative process. Whether using tempera, watercolor, or drybrush (a technique where all the liquid is squeezed out of the brush), Wyeth liked to say he was “weaving” the painting together, layer upon layer. This technique gave Wyeth a unique style that has impressed the art world.

The first medium Wyeth learned to paint was watercolor. His father, N.C., was a master of the technique, and passed that knowledge on to his son. Peter Hurd, Wyeth’s brother-in-law, later taught Andrew how to use egg tempera, a medium he became extremely skilled in. While N.C. used oil in addition to watercolor, Andrew never cared for the medium.

Andrew Wyeth is famous for his attention to detail – he was said to “paint every blade of grass.” To achieve that precision, Wyeth’s paintings took many hours to finish. He worked in layers and thought about every brush stroke before he made it. With Wyeth’s watercolor pieces, like Alvaro and Christina, he used both wet and drybrush techniques. Wet was used for the basic colors and shapes, and dry was used to add textures and detail to the painting.

Wyeth’s mastery of different mediums and attention to detail made his paintings stand out and become sought-after additions to many art collections.