This is one of the saddest paintings ever made.

Added: 2026-06-04

[00:00:00]This is one of the saddest paintings ever made by an American illustrator.

[00:00:04]Painted in 1917 by N.C. Wyeth, yes, Andrew Wyeth's [music] father.

[00:00:10]The Passing of Robin Hood was created as an illustration for the Robin Hood book.

[00:00:15]It captures the final moments of the medieval ballad.

[00:00:19]According to the legend, Robin had gone to Kirklees Priory for a bloodletting, a common medical procedure of the era.

[00:00:25][music] His now cousin, the prioress, betrayed him and let him bleed to death. There would be no last battle, no glorious end, just a man dying slow [music] in a small stone room.

[00:00:39]Behind him stands Little John, his oldest [music] companion, weeping into his hand.

[00:00:45]Wyeth lets the morning light pour in through the window, almost like an invitation. [music] Robin lifts his bow one last time and asks to be buried wherever this arrow lands.

[00:00:56]A final act of freedom from the man who lived and [music] died on his own terms in the forest.