Winslow Homer

Even if you think that you've never seen a Winslow Homer painting, you're probably wrong. Homer's paintings have graced the covers of many editions of Mark Twain and Louisa May Alcott novels, and almost every anthology of American literature. Or you might have seen his "Snap the Whip" in the commemorative stamp series of famous American artists. In fact, Homer is probably the most widely kown American painter, exploring American life and culture over his long career, which began after the Civil War and continued until his death in 1910.

Now the Museum of Fine Arts is presenting "Winslow Homer," the largest ever travelling exhibit of Homer's art. The show includes 178 works in various media, including watercolors, oils, and engraving--there are even two versions of "Snap the Whip."

Homer started out as a freelance illustrator for Harper's Weekly during the Civil War, painting scenes of life in the Union army. After the war he continued to document ordinary life in a variety of settings; his subjects included the struggle of the freed slaves, mothers and children in domestic life, and the beauty and power of the American landscape. His paintings allow their subjects to speak for themselves; Homer avoids using painting for social commentary.

One of his lesser known paintings, "Prisoners from the Front," shows how this documentary style can be used to great effect. The painting shows three captured Confederate soldiers being displayed to a Union corporal (who has been identified as an alumnus of Harvard). Homer shows that every segment of the American people--old and haggard, young and immature, southern gentleman and rednecks, could be found in the armies; he emphasizes that the War was a universal experience. At the same time, Union and Confederate troops face each other with obvious respect and compassion.

After the war, Homer started to paint women--not the nudes of classical European painting, but young working women. The MFA show has over 50 canvases devoted to women, in various scenes: at work, playing croquet, or simple portraits. In his "Morning Bell," a red-and-white clad woman walks to her factory job; in the background other women are doing farm chores. This shows the transition from America's agrarian past to the post-War industrial economy; Homer's eye is focused on the trends in the lives of average citizens.

Most of Homer's paintings are very bright; works like "Eagle Head, Manchester, Massachusetts," "Snap the Whip," "Breezing Up (A Fair Wind)," and "Boys in the Pasture" show Homer's dexterity in using color to capture the mood of the scene. In "Boys in the Pasture," Homer's scene of children at play expresses a hope for the future, while also stirring feelings of nostalgia for the happy and innocent time before the War.

Homer also spent many years painting the progress of the freed slaves in their new status. "The Carnival" shows a young black man dressing up in a colorful, festive outfit for a carnival in his small town, dramatizing the inability of the freed slaves to blend into American society. "Sunday Morning in Virginia," an inspirational scene of newly literate children reading to their grandmother, is a hopeful comment on the power that literacy gave to the freed slaves in the South.

For a period of his life, Homer started to paint scenes from the small fishing town where he lived. This phase produced some of his famous seascapes, such as "The Fog Warning," which shows a fisherman riding a mountainous wave, his head turned to listen to the foghorn. This painting, and other late works like "The Fox Hunt," emphasize the weakness of man when compared to America's majestic natural environment.

The exhibit reveals, above all, the variety of Homer's work, both of subject matter and medium. No matter what your taste in painting may be--nature scenes, nostalgic images of childhood, or documents of war--the MFA's show has something to please.