Winslow Homer: Dangerous Sea

In 1881, Homer returned to England, this time settling on the coast, along the rugged shoreline, where he encountered people unlike those he had previously painted in the Adirondacks or the Hamptons. The people he encountered were robust, hard-working, and no-nonsense. These people, and the savage shoreline of the North Sea became Homer's subjects.

While in England, Homer began experimenting with watercolors, which had previously not been recognized as a professional artist medium. It is believed that Homer's work changed public perception of watercolors, made watercolors an acceptable medium for professional artists, with his paintings from the mid-1880's like The Turtle Pond.

After returning from England, Homer made the move from New York to Scarborough, Maine, the location on Prout's Neck being almost identical to his home on the North Sea. Homer moved into an old stable, which became his studio. Homer's work of this period, primarily oil paintings, was the best of his life. The majority of his paintings depicted the beauty and power of nature and the danger people encountered as they interacted with nature, both in work and in leisure pursuits. This theme was very much a part of the lives of his fishermen neighbors, who daily confronted the danger of the sea as they struggled to make a living and feed their families.

Homer befriended many of his neighbors, some who became subjects for his paintings, like the old mariner in The Fog Warning and the Coast Guardsman in The Lifeline. The works of this period of Homer's life were non-commercial, detailed, graphic depictions of life on and around the water.

Homer also did some architectural design while residing in Maine, contributing to the beauty and development of residences at Prout's Neck.

In the 1890's, Homer spent the long Maine winters in Cuba, the Bahamas,and Florida, where he was inspired to paint some brilliant watercolors like The Gulf Stream, A Wall, Nassau, Hurricane Bahamas, and The Turtle Pond.

Homer died at his studio in Prout's Neck in 1910. He was never quite understood, though his paintings sold and he was recognized as a solid American artist. He was significant in Maine history, because of his detailed oil paintings of the sea and the working people living near it. There have been few artists that have captured the true meaning of life in Maine.

References: A tribute to Winslow Homer http://www.archive.com/archive/H/homer.h...

Maine's Claim to Fame (Link available at www.link75.org/bhm/four/libby/fmp/home.html

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