Andrew Wyeth

Private Collection, Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania

Private Collection, New York

Acquired from the above by the present owner

As a study for Andrew Wyeth’s later tempera on panel Ides of March of 1974, this drawing brilliantly captures the beginning stages of Wyeth’s efforts to tenderly render a portrait of his golden retriever, Rattler. Even in the early stages of this project, Wyeth’s commitment to capturing the emotion radiating from the relaxed countenance of his beloved dog is felt in the delicately etched lines around Rattler’s face and paws.

In fixing this work squarely on Rattler, Study for “Ides of March” brilliantly exemplifies Wyeth’s mastery of pencil. The high level of detail in this preparatory study is indicative of Wyeth’s commitment to capturing his life as he lived it, while the sparsely sketched background focuses the drawing squarely on Wyeth’s subject: a powerful tool Wyeth employs throughout his oeuvre. In his own words, this project of Wyeth’s pays homage to man’s best friend and is ultimately, “a portrait of a wonderful dog.” (Andrew Wyeth, Andrew Wyeth: Autobiography, p.97).