Homer painted the sea for the first time in history as it really looked.
Winslow Homer (1836
–1910) painted seascapes more vivid and realistic than anyone before
or since. He often painted water— its undulating waves, its translucent
surfaces, its constant blend of wind, light, and color. His chosen medium
was watercolor; in a sense, Homer painted water with water. As Christopher
Finch, an artist as well art critic, has noted, “Painting in watercolor
is a little like skippering a sailboat. When sailing, you set a destination
and plot the course that will get you there, but you do not expect to
arrive by following a straight line” (American Watercolors,
9). Like water itself, painting in watercolor is fluid, and even somewhat
unpredictable.
Pigments, usually suspended in gum Arabic or some other binder must be
applied to either wet paper or washed over later with water. Either way,
the fluid properties within water determine what may or may not be done.
Spontaneity and vivid colors that seem to glow and move with exuberant
freshness— all such wonders are part of a watercolor painting and
make its magic what it is. There is also the element of unpredictability
in watercolor. The moisture in the paper, the humidity in the air, even
the brush which holds the paint— all contribute to the wonder and
surprise.
As an artist Homer was largely self-taught, beginning his career first as a draftsman, and then later during the American Civil War he became an illustrator for Harper’s Weekly. At the time, Homer was but twenty-five. He had an eye for capturing the moment and transferring what he saw quickly to paper. Almost with the precision and ease of a camera, Homer could see and sketch what was before him. And, he also had that special insight into capturing the nuance of the moment.
Eventually, Homer turned from magazine sketches to oil painting, but the change was gradual. Yet, in 1866 his war painting, Prisoners from the Front, won him international acclaim at the Exposition Universelle in Paris. Although having achieved the status of inertnational artist, Homer remained himself and continued to develop a style that was uniquely American. He never seemed to have been enamored either with French artists or their Impressionistic style. Supposedly, Homer even once remarked that he would not venture across a street to look at a painting by Bouguereau. However, Homer was influenced by French color theory, and eventually by Japanese print style.
For twenty years, though, Homer continued painting landscapes as well as group studies in oil. Seemingly, he exhibited a sentimental flair toward both women and children. Indeed, his depictions were realistic enough without ever sacrificing his high sense of idealism. His paintings exhibited a vibrant and reflective spirit, depicting the American wilderness with an American exuberance. The Art Journal in 1877 described Homer’s artistic flair and interest— “He is wholly in sympathy with the rude and uncouth conditions of American life, he likes the men, the women, the boys, the girls, of the rustic by-ways of ours land — and he likes them as they are. . . .” Homer himself once wryly responded, “When I have selected the thing [a scene] carefully, I paint it exactly as it appears.”
This penchant for the realistic and the common stayed with Homer even when he changed his medium from oil to watercolor. Homer was about 37 when he decided that watercolor could stand on its own merits, and not function merely as a preliminary study for a more fuller and more finished oil painting. For the remainder of his life, the medium of watercolor became his life. Certainly, his artistic expression continued to develop, but his themes of simplicity and attending struggle remained constant. Whether Homer was depicting a scene from Gloucester, Maine, or fishermen in Cullercoats, England, or a tropical setting in the Bahamas, the texture and depiction remained unmistakably Homer, but the colors and the technique changed radically. After all, the Bahamas are not Maine. The colors are different and the look of the water is different as well.
Perhaps, though, the best way to appreciate Homer is to look at what he painted, to examine some of his layout, his colors, his themes.. However, I must keep my comments very brief so as not to intrude, at least, too much. After all, as Homer once said, “I regret very much that I have painted a picture that requires any description.” Here, then, are a few of his paintings, and even fewer comments.
Gloucester Harbor and Dory (1880)
Fogg Museum of Art
The sea is calm here with ships and masts mirrored in still, colorless water. The dominant hue seems to be a reddish brown. The immediate shoreline is what we see. There are some details in the background, but these blend almost fog-like into some indistinguishable mass and color. A young man or boy appears to be deep in thought. He rests on the bow of a dory with the anchor clearly visible. His legs dangle in a languid fashion suggesting perhaps what we have is a glimpse of ordinary, every-day life. The whole scene has a sense of peaceful and quiet repose. Homer’s background as draftsman is clearly evident.
The Gulf Stream (1899)
Metropolitan Museum of Art
This next painting is not watercolor, but oil. Even so, Homer also painted a number of similar studies in watercolor. In one of those paintings, the boat is at the same angle as the one in this painting, but unlike this setting, there were no survivors. No one is aboard. The boat is empty and floats in a menacing and telling sea. In this setting, however, the black man has survived, but his future is less than promising. The mast is broken; the boat is adrift and not in open sea, but rather in the strong currents of the Gulf Stream. Unlike the Glouchester painting, the sea is no longer calm, but is as threatening as the sharks which circle nearby with gaping and open jaws. Apparently, the suggested narrative of the painting was so unsettling that Homer felt obliged to respond to a disconcerted art dealer, "You can tell the ladies that the unfortunate Negro who is now so dazed and parboiled will be rescued and returned to his friends and home and ever after live happily." Maybe so, but the words do not seem all that reassuring.
Key West, Hauling Anchor (1903)
National Gallery of Art
This painting is equally Homer-esque, and is a watercolor to boot.. What becomes immediately apparent here, however, is not only the telling contrast between a watercolor and an oil painting, but also the almost abstract renderings. To be sure, the blues and greens are happier hues, but the figures aboard the boat are merely outlines. We are not even sure how many are aboard the boat. The folds in the main sail, and the waves are realistic, full of gentle movement and grace, but the figures move without faces. The background and sky are even more abstract. Is a storm approaching? Is this a typical day with but few clouds in the sky? We cannot really tell, and not knowing is a part of the magic of this painting and its mood.
A Garden in Nassau (1885)
Terra Museum of American Art
Homer painted a number of wall scenes in the Bahamas. In this particular painting, the white of the canvas becomes dominant, underscoring the contrasting and vibrant colors. Like a Japanese print, a two-dimensional design dominates the layout with a small dark-skinned boy in stark contrast to a high white wall. He obviously is a child of a slave, looking at a wall belonging to an estate of a rich master. The child stands on the outside of the wall, and therefore perhaps, on the outside of those forces which control his life, his happiness, his destiny. The gate is closed.
Hurricane, Bahamas (1898)
Metropolitan Museum of Art
In this last example, Homer depicts a hurricane in the Bahamas. The colors again are vibrant and alive, but the two-dimensional perspective, so characteristic of a Japanese print, is excitingly evident. There are no figures or people. The buildings themselves are low-lying and almost abstract renderings. Indeed, on the roof of the latticed building there seems to be ink spots, something indistinguishable and dynamic. The whole scene is simplistic, but full of vitality under the threat of an inevitable coming storm.
Winslow Homer is remembered as one of the America’s most talented
artists. Like any of us, he was a product of his times, but unlike so
many around him, he stubbornly held to his own style and approach, eventually
elevating watercolors to an artistic expression of its own right and its
own beauty. He painted the sea like none before him, and like none after
him.
Learning More about Winslow Homer
Perhaps, you would like to know more about Winslow Homer, or maybe even purchase one of his prints. Our thumbnail images, of course, really do not do him justice. Let me identify some of the other paintings represented in our article.
Eight Bells (1887)
etching
There is a corresponding painting with the same title.
We chose the etching to illustrate Homer's skill and attention to fine
detail.
Sailing the Catboat
(circa 1873)
private collection
Even though this watercolor seems to have served as a preliminary
study for a later oil painting, the vibrancy and colors are captivating
and playful, much as the boys themselves, I suppose.
The Boatbuilders
(1873)
Indianapolis Museum of Art
The oil on panel is one of my favorites. You can almost
hear the laughter and feel the excitement. Incidentally, the painting
has another title as well— Ship Building.
Mending the Nets (1881)
National Gallery of Art
Homer painted this scene during his stay in Cullercoats, England. The
women have an almost classical Greek appearance about them. Such a portrayal
tell us something about what Homer may have thought about the dignity
of work, and the struggle to make a living.
Books about Winslow Homer
I used a number of books for this short article, many of
which came from the shelves of the library, but one or two I bought for
our home. Miss Pat paints in watercolors, but she has attempted only one
seascape so far. One book we especially like is Helen A. Cooper's Winslow
Homer Watercolors. Here is a list of some others—
Cikovsky, Nicolai. Winslow Homer. New
York: Abrams, 1990.
Finch, Christopher. American Watercolors. New York: Abbeville
Press, 1986.
Gardner, Albert Ten Eyck. Winslow Homer. New York: Bramhall
House, 1961.
Unger, Miles. The Watercolors of Winslow Homer. New York:
Norton, 2001.
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