More Than a Likeness: The Enduring Art of Mary Whyte

More Than a Likeness: The Enduring Art of Mary Whyte is the first comprehensive book on the life and work of one of today�s most renowned watercolorists. From Whyte�s earliest paintings in rural Ohio and Pennsylvania, to the riveting portraits of her southern neighbors, historian Martha R. Severens provides us with an intimate look into the artist�s private world.
With more than two hundred full-color images of Whyte�s paintings and sketches, as well as comparison works by masters such as Winslow Homer, Andrew Wyeth, and John Singer Sargent, Severens clearly illustrates how Whyte�s art has been shaped and how the artist forged her own place in the world today.
Though Whyte�s academic training in Philadelphia was in oil painting, she learned the art of watercolor on her own�by studying masterworks in museums. Today Whyte�s style of watercolor painting is a unique blend of classical realism and contemporary vision, as seen in her intimate portraits of Southern blue-collar workers and elderly African American women in the South Carolina lowcountry.
�For me ideas are more plentiful than the hours to paint them, and I worry that I cannot get to all of my thoughts before they are forgotten or are pushed aside by more pressing concerns,� explains Whyte. �Some works take time to evolve. Like small seeds the paintings might not come to fruition until several years later, after there has been ample time for germination.�
Using broad sweeping washes as well as miniscule brushstrokes, Whyte directs the viewer�s attention to the areas in her paintings she deems most important. Murky passages of neutral colors often give way to areas of intense detail and color, giving the works a variety of edges and poetic focus. Several paintings included in the book are accompanied by enlarged areas of detail, showcasing Whyte�s technical mastery.
More Than a Likeness is replete with engaging artwork and inspiring text that mark the mid-point in Whyte�s artistry. Of what she will paint in the future, the artist says, �I have always believed that as artists we don�t choose our vocation, style, or subject matter. Art chooses us.�