CHRISTINA'S WORLD

'''Christina's World''' is the most famous work by American painter Andrew Wyeth, and one of the best-known American paintings of the 20th century. Painted in 1948, this tempera work is displayed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It shows a woman named Christina Olson, who had an undiagnosed muscular deterioration that paralyzed her lower body, perhaps poliomyelitis, dragging herself across the ground to pick flowers from her garden. She is the subject of a number of other paintings by Wyeth, along with her brother.
The house in Cushing, Maine, where Wyeth had been staying when he saw the scene that inspired the painting, still stands, although Wyeth took artistic license in its depiction, separating the barn from the house and changing the lay of the land. Known as the Olson house, it is on the National Register of Historic Places.

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References in popular culture

Reference

References in popular culture

★ In the novel ''A Complicated Kindness'' by Miriam Toews, Nomi Nickel hangs a Christina's World poster up in her room.

★ It figures briefly on a postcard in the movie "The In Crowd" (2000) starring Susan Ward and Lori Heuring.

★ The painting features briefly in the comic book series ''Preacher'' by Garth Ennis. Jesse Custer views the painting, his mother's favorite, at the MOMA.

★ A parody version of the painting appeared in ''The Simpsons'' episode "Springfield Up". The painting was identical to the real one, except for featuring Mr. Burns in Christina's place.

★ In the DVD extras to the movie ''Tideland'', director Terry Gilliam cites ''Christina's World'' as an inspiration in setting the backdrop and mood for the movie.

★ What appears to be this painting appears as a prop in performances of the Blue Man Group. The prop actually uses a removable Christina, which is revealed when removed with a vacuum.

★ In 2000, ''MAD Magazine'' released its annual list of the "Dumbest People, Events, and Things" of the previous year. A full-page parody of the painting depicted Hillary Rodham Clinton in the field, with the U.S. Capitol in the distance, lampooning her campaign to become senator of New York State.

★ In the novel ''The Dark Tower'' by Stephen King, Jake's favourite painting.

Reference

★ World'' in the MoMA Online Collection