greatunknownpub t1_je9nd4y wrote on March 30, 2023 at 12:53 PM

Reply to comment by sfxer001 in Christina's World, Andrew Wyeth, Tempera on panel,1948 by Breezilyfloat673

> Wyeth’s neighbor Anna Christina Olson inspired the composition, which is one of four paintings by Wyeth in which she appears. As a young girl, Olson developed a degenerative muscle condition—possibly polio—that left her unable to walk. She refused to use a wheelchair, preferring to crawl, as depicted here, using her arms to drag her lower body along. “The challenge to me,” Wyeth explained, “was to do justice to her extraordinary conquest of a life which most people would consider hopeless.”

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

dewpacs t1_jeb3wem wrote on March 30, 2023 at 6:52 PM

Interesting bit from Wikipedia:

A scene in the 1994 film Forrest Gump was inspired by the painting. When Jenny returns home, she throws herself on the ground and mirrors Olson's pose in reverse.

Driver330 t1_jebnt9h wrote on March 30, 2023 at 8:58 PM

Thank you for this awesome tidbit!

sfxer001 t1_jebuhnz wrote on March 30, 2023 at 9:42 PM

I remember the scene. Thanks for pointing out the connection. Makes a lot of sense at the time of her character arc.

ghostcompost t1_jedoqf1 wrote on March 31, 2023 at 7:13 AM

I think there's also a weird perspective trick going on here as well. We studied this painting in school. If I remember correctly, given how far she appears to be from the buildings, she's actually a giant. But you can't tell for some reason.