Montecino, Sarah M September 27, 2023

BSN 1C A&H 100

Various Perceptions on Christina’s World

The artwork provided above is a well-known painting of a woman in a field that is widely
recognized all over the world. Andrew Wyeth created "Christina's World" (1948). I've always
admired this artwork because I've seen a replica of it hanging on the wall of AdZU-SHS's library
in the FWS Building. But it wasn't until recently that I'd done enough research on this artwork to
understand what the creator's intent was and what it symbolized.

This, like any other painting, is susceptible to public interpretation, though the artist may
have stated a reason for its creation, the artwork may have sent a whole different message to the
public. However, it is fair that many people may have raised multiple questions about the deeper
meaning of the portrayal, as everyone has different points of view. So, in my case, I'll be giving
my own interpretations of this painting as well, using the three levels of interpretation for an
artwork: factual, conventional, and subjective meaning.

First, let me give a factual meaning to this artwork. But before that, let me provide some
context for this piece of art. We might be seeing the same thing: a vast open field about almost
two-thirds grass, along with a section of grass that appears to be mowed shorter around the house
and a barn, creating an apparent distinction between the long grass in the foreground and the blue
sky. Another notable subject in the artwork is a young woman seen from behind, dressed in a
bright pink dress and what appear to be closed brown shoes. The woman appears to be looking
up at the landscape in front of her while relaxing in a lazy stance on the vast grassy plain.
Finally, a weathered wooden home and barn can be seen in the distance, located on a hill. A
driveway can also be seen with two parallel curving lines in the grass flowing from the right side
of the design to the home. Overall, the environment appears to be vacant, since the sole figure of
life seen is a woman with her back to us, gazing up at what appears to be a farmhouse.

Second is the conventional meaning which includes the public's judgments and
speculations, as well as the artist's attempt in creating the artwork.

According to public opinion and supposition, the woman's torso was supported by her
arms, and it is unsettlingly tense. Her fingers are stiff as they grab and dig deeply into the dirt;
she appears immobile. It was speculated that something didn't felt quite right.

However, according to the artist's attempt, the woman in the artwork who inspired the
composition was Wyeth's neighbour, Anna Christina Olson. A little background on Olson: as a
young child, she acquired a degenerative muscular ailment that rendered her unable to walk.
Regardless of her impairment, she refused to use a wheelchair, and the older she got, the less
mobility she had, and she preferred to crawl and drag herself across surfaces everywhere she
wanted to go. With that, we may deduce that she is using her arms to drag her lower body
through the dry grass since she is unable to walk and prefers not to use any resources that can
help her move faster from one area to another. Take note of how a single bit of information alters
our entire impression of the picture in question. However, Wyeth was inspired to create this
piece after observing Christina crawling outside in the grass from his window. Christina
provided his idea for a scene that would become one of the most intriguing art pieces from then
on.

Finally, there is the matter of subjective meaning. Before discovering the creator's true intention
in creating this, I assumed it simply depicts a scene with a young woman relaxing on a grassy
field. However, after understanding Wyeth, I realized that it is a symbolic landscape of the
subject's state of mind. Like a depiction of a seemingly solitary journey of a determined woman,
demonstrating perseverance, fortitude, and hope. In addition, Wyeth himself explained that what
he wanted to achieve was “to do justice” to Anna’s “extraordinary conquest of a life that most
people would consider hopeless (MoMA, 2015). To me, I can actually see the vision of what he
was trying to achieve: a metaphorical world where we all face each other as human beings in our
own ways.

References:

MoMA. (2015). Christina’s World. The Museum of Modern Art; MoMA.

https://www.moma.org/collection/works/78455