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It is important to acknowledge that Winslow Homers’ mother was his driving force in becoming an artist. She was a gifted amateur watercolourist and acted as his teacher; this lead to the two having a close relationship throughout their lives. Homer essentially took after her in all her traits—quiet, strong willed, terse, and not to mention a sociable nature with a dry sense of nature—and most prevalent of all; her artistic talent.

Winslow Homer, born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1836, was known as a painter of land and seascapes. His characteristics included rough-edged and a sometimes harsh vision of nature, which reflected upon contemporary American ambivalence towards the wilderness and frontier land.

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Scenic Sceneries: Landscape Painting

Homer began a watercolour series on deer hunting in 1889, the setting being the wilderness of the Adirondacks. It is one of the few series I have seen that radiate a sense of adventure and have actually caused myself to feel a stir of emotions. While Homer may be well known for his works of land and seascapes, I believe that he truly has a talent of capturing scenes of tension no matter how calming the piece may look; whether it be a still autumn forest or the subtle and soft ripples of water, it doesn’t matter. He effortlessly depicts anticipation and does it so well that you could see or hear the scene play out.

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A Vast Love for the Sea

Homer was preoccupied with the power of the ocean, which was often the subject of his art. One of his seascape paintings, The Gulf Stream, is named after the strong Atlantic current that connected many of the locales where he frequented and preferred to paint. This dramatic scene of imminent disaster is based on his own experiences and travels he made during winter trips, having crossed the Gulf Stream several times. Disaster is the theme of this piece and there is no doubt in my mind that Homer depicted just that; a man stranded in a boat with few rations of sugarcane amidst a a raging sea filled with sharks. But there is a glimmer of hope among this chaos, that being the faint silhouette of a ship on the left of the horizon. I really admire small subtleties that add to the story of artwork, illustrations and design, and Homer is amazing at executing that.

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Works Cited

“Biography of Winslow Homer.” Winslow Homer Biography | Life, Paintings, Influence on Art, https://www.winslow-homer.com/biography.html.

Deer Hunting in the Adirondacks, https://hamiltoncs.org/forever-wild/deer-hunting/selection-of-paintings/.

“Homer, Winslow (1836 – 1910): The Bloomsbury Guide to Art – Credo Reference.” Homer, Winslow (1836 – 1910) | The Bloomsbury Guide to Art – Credo Reference, https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/bga/homer_winslow_1836_1910/0.

Metmuseum.org, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/11122.

Winslow Homer Watercolors – a Survey of Themes and Styles, https://www.nga.gov/features/slideshows/winslow-homer-watercolors-a-survey-of-themes-and-styles.html#slide_3.