I think I could say that Winslow Homer is my favorite painter…although I am quite partial to Melissa and Lottie. I guess then I should say that he is my favorite “dead artist”. 🙂
Anyway, I’ve always tried to seek out his work at any museum we visit and for me these were the highlights of yesterday’s trip to the Clark.
Eastern Point-1900
Undertow-1866
Saco Bay-1896
There was a great exhibit of his work at the Boston Museum of Fine Art many years ago that we loved and before that I was made familiar with one painting at the Freer Gallery, part of the Smithsonian, in Washington. I first saw Early Evening with a girlfriend and then Mary Beth and I saw it again when we visited back in the late 80’s. It now hangs…well a copy, of course…in our dining room.
Early Evening aka Sailors Take Warning-1881-reworked-1907
I don’t remember the exact story, but Homer did this over many years always seeking out a certain light to paint. No digital cameras to save the light and color for future reference.
Stephen Gingold Nature Photography Blog 
Melissa’s most recent post was a change of pace for her, and now this is a change of pace for you.
I found this informative article about Winslow Homer at the Met:
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/homr/hd_homr.htm
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I am fairly predictable, but every once in a while….
Thanks for the link.
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He always gets that feeling of being near or in the sea doesn’t he – not just a view of it.
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Yes, his painting is very personal.
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He’s one of my favorite painters, although I wouldn’t have immediately recognized these three. I might have recognized them as Homer, but I wouldn’t have known the titles. I’ve always been more attracted to his views of Bermuda. I suppose it’s a case of geography and interests shaping perception. He does better palm trees than any painter I know.
I like the alternate title to “Early Evening.” What’s so strange is that moon. The crescent seems somehow “wrong.” Now I have all sorts of questions: where was it painted? Would the moon have appeared differently in that different location? (Surely not…) Have I not been observant enough of the waxing and waning crescents? Another thing to add to the list of “Future Explorations.”
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Having visited the Homer retrospective in Boston all those years ago, I got to see most of his work, at least the major stuff, so both these Maine paintings as well as the Bermuda and Adirondack works were familiar to me.
Early Evening was painted after he settled in Maine and I believe this was painted near his home in Prout’s Neck. I guess it is possible that the moon would appear different based on the angle it is revolving at compared to one’s location, but that is not what you are seeing in this painting. It is the Waxing crescent. Here’s a look at the moon’s phases from Auntie Moon. 🙂
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I get the phases, and don’t have any trouble sorting waxing and waning. But there’s something about the moon in this painting that just doesn’t look “right.” I guess I’ll have to check out our next waxing crescent and see what I see.
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I do see that he has the bottom of the crescent slightly thinner than the top, but that might be what you are talking about and location based. Maybe our resident astronomer from Iowa will chime in about that.
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Well, by golly, the waxing crescent begins tomorrow, so I’ll have a chance to check it out if the clouds allow!
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Yup, no moon for you…tonight. There should be a pleasing little sliver tomorrow though.
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He is one of my favorites, too, Steve. I’ve gazed at these paintings in books. It would be wonderful to see them in person.
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It is a wonderful experience, Melissa. There were also several from Gauguin, Monet, Pissarro, Renoir, Millet, Cassatt, Constable, Turner, Inness, Remington, Sargent and so many more. You can browse the collection here. Have fun. 🙂
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Homer was a great painter if he “hangs” in galleries. I like his paintings but I’m not wild about a homer. He’s just not my taste but I don’t want to lie and say I adore his work. It’s too stark and dark. There are few painters that I really like and they are all artists that painted wildlife, birds, dogs, cats or, horses. But I enjoyed seeing your tastes. This lends another aspect to your personality. 🙂
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It would be a dull world if we all liked the same things, Yvonne. I am sure there are plenty of other things that I like which may not be your taste…like loud hard rock music…but maybe I am mistaken. 🙂
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Don’t care for hard rock but soft rock I like and ole Springsteen and Paul McCarthy are some of my favorites as well as a list of many more. I love the Eagles, John Fogerty, and many more of the 70’s and 80’s. Oh yes, and even Willie Nelson. Good acoustic guitar. I have varied taste. 🙂
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We have an answer about that waxing crescent. It’s a two-fold answer: partly scientific and partly behavioral (my behavior, not the moon’s). Here’s an article from a reputable source that explains how the seasons affect the appearance of the moon in the sky. Homer has painted a summer waxing crescent: the backwards “C” the article mentions.
I only see the moon from my windows during the fall and winter, so I’m accustomed to glancing out and seeing the waxing crescent at the bottom: the “smile” that the article talks about.
Mystery solved!
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Excellent web crawling, Linda. Thanks. I did not really know what you were getting at but the article and your further comment makes it clear as a Cheshire Cat’s smile on a moonlit night. 🙂
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