Winslow Homer (February 24, 1836 ? September 29, 1910) was an American landscape painter and printmaker, best known for his marine subjects. He is considered one of the foremost painters in 19th century America and a preeminent figure in American art.
Largely self-taught, Homer began his career working as a commercial illustrator. He subsequently took up oil painting and produced major studio works characterized by the weight and density he exploited from the medium. He also worked extensively in watercolor, creating a fluid and prolific oeuvre, primarily chronicling his working vacations.
Born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1836, Homer was the second of three sons of Charles Savage Homer and Henrietta Benson Homer, both from long lines of New Englanders. She was a gifted amateur watercolorist and Homer?s first teacher, and she and her son had a close relationship throughout their lives. Homer took on many of her traits, including her quiet, strong-willed, terse, sociable nature; her dry sense of humor; and her artistic talent. Homer had a happy childhood, growing up mostly in then rural Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was an average student, but his art talent was on display early.
Photo of Winslow Homer
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj171/Azjahh/Art%20Museum/WinslowHomer.jpg
Rowing Home. 1890
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj171/Azjahh/Art%20Museum/Winslow_Homer_Rowing_Home.jpg
Cloud Shadows. 1890.
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj171/Azjahh/Art%20Museum/WinslowHomerCloudShadows.jpg
Sunlight on the Coast. 1890. Toledo Museum of Art.
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj171/Azjahh/Art%20Museum/Winslow_Homer_Sunlight_on_the_Coast.jpg
After the Hurricane. 1899. Art Institute of Chicago.
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj171/Azjahh/Art%20Museum/Winslow_Homer_Hurricane.jpg
Breezing Up (A Fair Wind), 1873-1876, oil on canvas, Gift of the W. L. and May T. Mellon Foundation
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj171/Azjahh/Art%20Museum/winslowhomer-02-breezingup.jpg
Incoming Tide, Scarboro Maine, 1883, watercolor on paper, Gift of Ruth K. Henschel in memory of her husband, Charles R. Henschel Homer was drawn to the starkly beautiful scenery of the peninsula of Prout's Neck, Maine, settling permenantly there in 1883. Working in watercolor, he began recording the wild power of the sea in various conditions of light and weather, as in this picture of waves breaking against the rugged shore in a dramatic spray of foam. It is one of Homer's first pure marine pictures, without the addition of figures or narrative. This depiction of the elemental forces of nature is an early indication of the artist's primary pictorial concern in his later years. A friend later recalled Homer's attraction to inclement weather: "hen I knew him he was comparatively indifferent to the ordinary and peaceful aspects of the ocean....But when the lowering clouds gathered above the horizon, and tumultuous waves ran along the rockbound coast and up the shelving, precipitous rocks, his interest became intense."
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj171/Azjahh/Art%20Museum/winslowhomer-29-incomingtide.jpg
Largely self-taught, Homer began his career working as a commercial illustrator. He subsequently took up oil painting and produced major studio works characterized by the weight and density he exploited from the medium. He also worked extensively in watercolor, creating a fluid and prolific oeuvre, primarily chronicling his working vacations.
Born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1836, Homer was the second of three sons of Charles Savage Homer and Henrietta Benson Homer, both from long lines of New Englanders. She was a gifted amateur watercolorist and Homer?s first teacher, and she and her son had a close relationship throughout their lives. Homer took on many of her traits, including her quiet, strong-willed, terse, sociable nature; her dry sense of humor; and her artistic talent. Homer had a happy childhood, growing up mostly in then rural Cambridge, Massachusetts. He was an average student, but his art talent was on display early.
Photo of Winslow Homer
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj171/Azjahh/Art%20Museum/WinslowHomer.jpg
Rowing Home. 1890
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj171/Azjahh/Art%20Museum/Winslow_Homer_Rowing_Home.jpg
Cloud Shadows. 1890.
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj171/Azjahh/Art%20Museum/WinslowHomerCloudShadows.jpg
Sunlight on the Coast. 1890. Toledo Museum of Art.
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj171/Azjahh/Art%20Museum/Winslow_Homer_Sunlight_on_the_Coast.jpg
After the Hurricane. 1899. Art Institute of Chicago.
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj171/Azjahh/Art%20Museum/Winslow_Homer_Hurricane.jpg
Breezing Up (A Fair Wind), 1873-1876, oil on canvas, Gift of the W. L. and May T. Mellon Foundation
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj171/Azjahh/Art%20Museum/winslowhomer-02-breezingup.jpg
Incoming Tide, Scarboro Maine, 1883, watercolor on paper, Gift of Ruth K. Henschel in memory of her husband, Charles R. Henschel Homer was drawn to the starkly beautiful scenery of the peninsula of Prout's Neck, Maine, settling permenantly there in 1883. Working in watercolor, he began recording the wild power of the sea in various conditions of light and weather, as in this picture of waves breaking against the rugged shore in a dramatic spray of foam. It is one of Homer's first pure marine pictures, without the addition of figures or narrative. This depiction of the elemental forces of nature is an early indication of the artist's primary pictorial concern in his later years. A friend later recalled Homer's attraction to inclement weather: "hen I knew him he was comparatively indifferent to the ordinary and peaceful aspects of the ocean....But when the lowering clouds gathered above the horizon, and tumultuous waves ran along the rockbound coast and up the shelving, precipitous rocks, his interest became intense."
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj171/Azjahh/Art%20Museum/winslowhomer-29-incomingtide.jpg