Educational Media Reviews Online

Artist Peter de La Feuente is the lucky recipient of an artistic legacy. He is the grandson of Peter Hurd and Henriette Wyeth, and a great nephew of Andrew Wyeth. The subject matter is fascinating, but this video suffers from the lack of a clear and unified mission. What story is it trying to tell? Is it the story of Peter’s life, or of his work? Is it intended to place his art within the context of those who came before him, as could be expected from the title? Sadly, the writer and editor never seem to answer those questions for themselves, leaving the viewer wanting more information. The video is part biography, part art history lesson, and part studio demonstration, but rather than do one thing well it does all three merely adequately.

The video is also slow to tell de La Fuente’s story. Almost 10 minutes into the video, minutes during which we learn Wyeth and Hurd history and see some breathtaking New Mexico scenery, we learn of Peter’s birth in Spain and his move to the Hurd ranch at the age of four. He has followed in the footsteps of his grandfather Peter Hurd by working primarily in egg tempera. A self-taught artist, de La Fuente continues the “family philosophy” of working from life, rather than from photographs. His approach to art is holistic and abstract, and he tries to paint his landscapes with honesty and boldness. Detailed footage of his egg tempera technique will delight both art students and working artists who are new to the medium.

The pace of the video is meandering, with very little narration or sequencing. Undated home video footage of a Maine visit with Andrew Wyeth is touching and among the video’s best, although the studio demonstration is a close second. Unfortunately, amateur art historians, collectors, and lovers of landscape painting may find too little substantive information to merit purchase. This video is recommended with reservations, for high school and university libraries supporting fine arts and art history programs.