Things Beyond Resemblance: James Welling Photographs

This generously illustrated book examines a series of color photographs by Los Angeles– based artist James Welling, who turned to the painter Andrew Wyeth for inspiration. As a conceptual artist who is deeply interested in the genesis of representation, Welling began this series of photographsas an examination of Andrew Wyeth’s influence on his ownwork, from Welling’s earliest watercolors in the 1960s throughhis recent photographs. Shot on location in Pennsylvania andMaine―in the same areas where Wyeth painted throughouthis life―this major series includes photographs from 2010through 2014. In addition to including never-before-seenworks from the completed Wyeth series, the book exploresthe mechanisms of influence of one artist upon another―even across media―ranging from subconscious borrowingsto more direct appropriations. Using color photography,Welling evokes Wyeth’s aesthetic, particularly the importanceof place in his work. Paying homage to Wyeth’s practice ofmanipulating subject matter in his seemingly realistic paintings,Welling digitally altered his photographs in subtle ways. Thisbook provides a fascinating look at a major new series by aleading contemporary artist, and allows for fresh and insightfulconnections to Andrew Wyeth.