Saturday, June 18, 2011

Saturday Salon: A Favorite Painting or Two or Three...






It's Saturday, so it's Art Appreciation Day (as I like to call it) around these parts. Winslow Homer 1836 - 1910 was an extraordinary 19th Century American self-taught master whose work you are familiar with, even if you've only ever seen it on my blog header. Yes, the woman in orange relaxing with a good book is Winslow Homer's work.


Homer painted various real-life and often 'heroic' subjects, most especially down to the sea in ships. Well known for his marine themes, he also painted women and men in naturalistic, romantic landscapes and earlier, soldiers in Civil War settings. But there was/is a recognizable and often turbulent sweep to his seascapes which make his work almost instantly recognizable.

And yet he also painted the woman with a book in my blog header. One of my favorite paintings.

Read more about the life and work of Winslow Homer here.

See a National Gallery of Art slide show of Winslow Homer work here.





This painting is titled Dad's Coming, so I thought it particularly appropriate for this Father's Day Weekend.

8 comments:

  1. Having been brought up by the sea (Penzance, in Cornwall) I absolutely love sea paintings so really enjoyed seeing these by an artist unknown to me before. They remind me a bit of The Newlyn School of art paintings.

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  2. Cath: I'm so glad I was able to introduce you to a 'new' painter. Blogs are so great for making new discoveries - don't you think?

    Winslow Homer is one of our American greats.

    I've always wanted to visit Cornwall, but have never had the chance. :)

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  3. I'm loving the painting of the stormy sea. I get lost in that type of painting everytime I see a new one. They have so much kinetic energy in them....love it.

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  4. My Dad loved paintings of ships on the sea and ships in bottles. I'm sure he knew of and liked Homer's sea paintings.

    I, however, love the painting of the woman reading. Did not know whose it was.

    Blogs sure are educational. Every day one learns something, often many things.

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  5. Winslow Homer is one of my favorite painters, too. We have a copy of 'Hurricane, Bahamas' hanging over our bed and 'The Blue Boat' in my bathroom. I love lying in the tub looking at the beautiful painting.

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  6. Ryan: Yes, exactly. Kinetic energy. The roiling sea. I like the rescue one especially. And of course, I love my header. :)

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  7. Kathy: I learn something new every day myself. Blog are a whole new universe as fas as I'm concerned. :)

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  8. Joan: I've been meaning to get one of his prints. If only I could find the wall space. :) I cannot bear a blank wall so there's always something hanging somewhere. I too love Homer's paintings of the sea.

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