Basic Information

Historical Context

Painted in 1952, depicting a simple wooden footbridge on Cushing Point, Maine, near the Wyeth family's summer home. The structure served as a practical crossing over a tidal inlet, and Wyeth returned to this motif multiple times. The distant building visible on the horizon may be the Olson House or a neighboring structure. This work belongs to the period following Wyeth's breakthrough with Christina's World (1948). Visual Description A windswept coastal or marshland scene. A weathered wooden footbridge spans a tidal creek or shallow waterway, featuring simple wooden railings and posts with a ramp on the right side. A prominent dark tree or shrub on the left is bent by persistent wind. Low-lying marsh grasses and reeds in the foreground. A distant treeline with a small building and flagpole barely visible on the horizon (upper right). The palette is dominated by grays, slate blues, and earthy browns. The sky is layered with pale gray, white, and subtle blue-violet washes. Water and ground areas show wet-on-wet watercolor technique creating atmospheric effects. Artistic Analysis The bridge functions as a powerful metaphor in Wyeth's oeuvre — representing transition, connection between realms (land and water, human and natural), and the humble persistence of human structures within overwhelming natural forces. The bridge's diagonal thrust creates dynamic tension against the horizontal sky, while the wind-bent tree provides left-side balance. Wyeth's "drybrush" watercolor combined with fluid washes creates architectural precision for the bridge contrasting with atmospheric looseness of sky and water. The painting demonstrates how selective detail creates stronger reality than uniform finish — a core Wyeth principle.