Pumpkinhead Self Portrait by Jamie Wyeth (Interpretation and Analysis)

Pumpkinhead Self Portrait
Source: Wiki Art

Today, I want to celebrate Halloween by talking about a very fun painting by Jamie Wyeth: Pumpkinhead Self Portrait. Jamie Wyeth is a member of the famous Wyeth family, and is the son and grandson respectively of celebrated painters Andrew Wyeth and N.C. Wyeth. Although he’s probably not as well known as his relatives, he’s certainly a famous and talented painter in his own right.

I was fortunate enough to see an exhibition of art by the Wyeth family at the Brandywine Conservancy several years ago, and one of my favorite pieces in the collection was Wyeth’s Pumpkinhead Self Portrait.

Aside from being very entertaining, this painting challenges the tradition of self portraits in Western art. I read this piece as an expression of formalist ideas, a literary theory that divorces the artist/author and their intentions from their art. In this painting, Wyeth removes himself from his own self portrait, a somewhat self deprecating gesture that invites the viewer to examine the work as a painting, not as an image of its creator.

Alternatively, it might just be that the Wyeth family like Halloween. Jamie Wyeth in particular seems to be fascinated by pumpkins, even creating a series of pumpkin paintings. I found a really interesting essay from the Denver Art Museum about Halloween in the work of the Wyeth family. The author offers an interesting interpretation of the pumpkin motif, “the Wyeths delighted in costume, in infusing the fantastic into the everyday, in striking an undercurrent of mystery, discomfort, and sometimes peculiar humor through their work.”

Disclaimer: I’m not an art historian or an expert on this topic. The above is my opinion, based on my interpretation of my foreknowledge of art and history. If I’ve done any additional research, I’ll note it above.