There she raised a family of four children, and acted as caretaker to farmer Karl Kuerner, an elderly neighbor who was a friend and model for Wyeth. By 1961 they were living in Philadelphia, where she worked in a tannery, and they soon moved to Chadds Ford. In 1957, she met John Testorf, a German-born, naturalized American citizen, whom she married in 1958. After becoming seriously ill she left the convent and lived in Mannheim, where she studied to be a nurse and a masseuse. To John Updike, her body 'is what Winslow Homer's maidens would have looked like beneath their calico.' īorn in Germany, Helga entered a Prussian Protestant convent chosen by her father in 1955. Helga 'Testy' Testorf was a neighbor of Wyeth's in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, and over the course of fifteen years posed for Wyeth indoors and out of doors, nude and clothed, in attitudes that reminded writers of figures painted by Botticelli and Édouard Manet. 1939 ) created by American artist Andrew Wyeth between 19. The Helga Pictures are a series of more than 268 paintings and drawings of German model Helga Testorf (born c. See more Andrew Wyeth Paintings and The Source of Andrew Wyeth’s Inspirations.Īlso learn about the more recent works by Andrew Wyeth.Testorf portrayed in Braids (1979) by Andrew Wyeth Museum collections of his paintings celebrate his vision for art while somewhere with a paintbrush in hand, he continues create. Wyeth has always been able to capture memorable places and figures that represent American culture with ease and represent them in a meaningful way. We really get to see the changes and advances he gained during the years while he used Helga as a subject.Īlthough this artist is admired for his technical brilliance Andrew Wyeth prints are cherished for their authentic value. Helga's physical changes throughout the fifteen years along with Wyeth's growth as an artist are what make the collection so interesting. He painted Helga in many different ways at every time of day and night, indoors and outdoors, clothed as well as nude. ' The Helga Pictures,' composed secretly over a fifteen year period reflect his dedication to the effects of light on the human body. His inspiration for art was nurtured by his father Newell Convers Wyeth who was an artist with many of his own successes.

Andrew Wyeth prints display technical brilliance along with an obvious affection for the subjects he chooses to paint. When Andrew Wyeth painted he often began with a realistic approach, but in his passion to create, the artwork would take on an air of surrealism.

Andrew wyeth helga pictures