A superb draughtsman and major realist painter of the twentieth century, Andrew Wyeth created highly introspective and intimate compositions inspired by his close relations and the rural landscapes of Maine and Pennsylvania. This work is a study for the watercolor Watch Cap (Private Collection). Executed in Port Clyde, Maine, the work depicts Walter Anderson (1923-1987), a Maine fisherman and longtime friend of the artist. The drawing portrays Anderson staring toward a vast expanse of water, signified by a rectilinear patch of shading. Indebted to romantic iconography and characteristic of Wyeth's portrait drawings, the pose conveys the pensive mood of the sitter. His tightly knit cap comprises highly detailed, overlapping contours with splayed edges, suggesting weathered wool. This study was completed while Wyeth was frequently painting Anderson and secretly working on a series of images of Helga Testorf.
Signed at lower right, "A. Wyeth".