The Drifter
Andrew Wyeth’s The Drifter brings to mind a romantic archetype. A drifter’s that person you can never know. Right when you think you might understand them, they’re gone. Poof. The feelings this brings up make this a romantic painting. That’s why it’s so very unusual. Despite its emotion, this is a remote portrayal. We don’t know much about this man. But Wyeth gives us clarion details to point out every bit of information. He’s sad. His clothes are grubby. He looks away.
These features point to loneliness and isolation. They also make us wonder. Viewers want to know more about him. When I first saw this painting I felt like I was waiting for The Drifter to lift his head and look at me. That’s how much I wanted it to happen. I wanted to meet his gaze and know him a little better. There’s a sense of longing built into this portrait. It tells us that Wyeth chose this man because he had a similar sense. That there was more to this drifter than what we see on the surface.
Keep learning about this painting and more with a click to LadyKflo's Art Blog.
https://www.ladykflo.com/the-drifter-by-andrew-wyeth/