Winslow Homer
Winslow Homer was an American artist associated with the Realism art movement who lived from 1836 to 1910. He worked in a variety of mediums, from oil and watercolor landscapes to printmaking. Homer is one of the most well-known artists of his time and is recognized as a major art mover and shaker in nineteenth century America.
Homer was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1836. His mother was an avid watercolorist, a gift which she lovingly taught to her son. Homer’s artistic talents were recognized early on, but for the most part, he was self-taught. In 1855 at 19 years old, Homer began his foray into the art world. He started work as an apprenticeship at a commercial lithographer in Boston where he remained for two years, working on the cover art for sheet music amongst other things. In 1857, after turning down a position at “Harper’s Weekly”, Homer decided to work solely as a freelance artist, which he continued for the rest of his life. As an illustrator, Home found great success in his wood etchings and lithography and by 1859, he had opened his own studio in New York City.
While in New York City, Homer started taking classes at the National Academy of Design. At this point, his art shifted from lithograph illustrations to oil and watercolor paintings. Homer was about to go to Europe to continue his training when the Civil War broke out in America. Harper’s sent Homer to the battlefield of the war to illustrate what he saw. Many of these pieces were displayed to an approving public. After the war, Homer continued his art, delving into oils and watercolors in addition to the lithographs and other illustrations. After detailing the grittiness of war, he changed the focus of his subject to simpler nostalgic themes. In 1867, he traveled to France and created a series of both Parisian life and peasant life.
Homer returned to America and continued working on his rural scenes. In 1873, he started experimenting with watercolors as a medium, and immediately mastered the difficult medium. Watercolor paintings had only recently become a respectable medium, bolstered by the creation of the American Water Color Society in 1866. His technique was essentially to draw the forms with pencil, and then fill them in with layers of watercolor paint washes. By 1875, Homer no longer had to do commercial illustrations, and devoted his career to his paintings, working mostly in plein-air.
Homer was intensely private, so not much is known about his personal life. By the 1870s he was basically a recluse, living full time in Gloucester, Massachusetts. By the 1880s, Homer was living in Maine in his family’s estate. During this period, he had more lofty aspirations with his art, tackling larger, more difficult subjects. His most recognizable pieces date to this period and are marine works, which were largely inspired by the ocean shore in Maine.
Though he was critically praised for his unique and fresh approach to art, his sales did not match up with those of his contemporaries, such as John Singer Sargent and wouldn’t until the turn of the century. As a self-taught artist, Homer’s works were independent from the artistic conventions of the day. His works are both a classic representation of American life in the nineteenth century as well as the relationship between humans with primal nature. Homer died in 1910 at 74 years of age. By the time of his death, he was the top watercolorist in the country.
Although Winslow Homer never taught, his art was a huge inspiration for early twentieth century artists, including the well-known American illustrators Howard Pyle and N. C. Wyeth. His individualism and solitary approach to his art was respected by those attempting to make their own mark. In fact, Homer’s advice to aspiring artists was, “Look at nature, work independently, and solve your own problems”. Quite fitting.
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