Content area
Full Text
Istand peering into a scene that is meant to be private. In an Old German Lutheran Church in Waldoboro, Maine, a young bride-to-be sits alone in silent meditation. Head down. Eyes lowered. Expression solemn. Around her shoulders, shafts of light touch her long flowing hair, giving it the appearance of strands of golden thread. A wreath of delicate white flowers, a solitary oak leaf, and maidenhair fern circle her head. In the quietness of this moment, no one else has joined me. I feel like an intruder, viewing something that is meant only for the eyes of God, but I can't tear my eyes from her. Maidenhair holds me captive.
I came to the Farnsworth Art Museum, located in Rockland, Maine, several hours ago. It has been over three years since I have been to the Farnsworth. I don't remember seeing the painting Maidenhair by Andrew Wyeth at that time, but today it was one of the first paintings that I noticed when I entered the Wyeth Center. Maidenhair is tempera on panel, a medium that Wyeth often used in his work. The Old German Lutheran Church, built in 1772 near the Medomak River and later moved to its present location, became the setting for Maidenhair after Andrew Wyeth saw the church and felt compelled to use it for this painting. Set against a ghost-white wall, this painting seemed to be drawing me to come closer.
When I first arrived, I stood beside Maidenhair for the longest time before moving to an adjacent gallery room that held landscapes of the blackened craggy cliffs at Owl's Head and the blue hills surrounding Camden Harbor. Next, I entered the museum's library and sat for about a half hour in an overstuffed leather chair located in front of a large fireplace. My thoughts kept returning to Maidenhair. After looking at the special art exhibitions of Paul Caponigro and Louise Nevelson, I made my way back to the Wyeth Center and now stand once again in front of Maidenhair. I am glad the museum is quiet, with no other visitors on Level 4 where other works of Andrew Wyeth are on exhibit. I am here alone with the young Maidenhair bride-to-be. I stand in the silence.
The bride-to-be in...