Winslow Homer

He is one of the most foremost painters of the 19 th century and also considered as
the most prominent figures when it comes to American art. Winslow Homer was
not only an American painter but also a printmaker in the American history that is
best known for his marine subjects.

He is famous because he did not take any professional training for the same but is
self taught. His career began as a commercial illustrator but later took to oil
painting thereby producing some of the most intense and valued work in
American history. His painting career was very diverse varying with the use of oil
paints and going to water colors depicting the simplest subjects in some of their
most difficult struggles with this indifferent universe.

Early Life

Winslow Homer was born on 24th of February in the year 1836 in Boston,
Massachusetts. He was born to Charles Savage and Henriettta Benson Homer. He
was the second son amongst the three sons.

He was a very quiet, terse, strong willed and sociable person as a child which is
some of the qualities which he inherited from his mother. Even though he was an
average student as a child but his passion and talent for art were very evident
since his early years which is also a talent which he inherited from his mother who
herself was a gifted amateur watercolorist and also Winslow’s first teacher. He had
a very happy childhood.

His interest got a push when he was 19 years old and also got apprenticed to a
lithographic firm of John Bufford in Boston itself. His early experience as a painter
was mainly concerned with copying the designs of other artists but gradually he
started on his own work and also started submitting the same for publication in
various periodicals such as Ballou’s Pictorial etc.

Career

His first work was put at display at the National Academy of Design when he
moved from Boston to New York in the year 1859 to begin his career as a
freelance illustrator. His career had just started and he also started getting name
for himself especially for thinking out of the box. The same could also be seen
during the American Civil War, where most of the other painters depicted the
scenes of war but he thinking differently he dealt with the regular day to day life
at the camps for the people. Because of the same, he was also elected to the
National Academy of Design in the year 1865.

Some of his works were received very warmly by the masses especially soon after
the end of the war which included his work by the name of Prisoners from the
Front and the dominant national mood of reconciliation. He established his studio
in New York but that was never the theme of this art. He always made efforts to
travel as much as he can especially during the warm months to capture the
essence of normal day to day life struggle. He even spent a year in France in 1866
influenced by the French naturalism.

His plan to use watercolors changed his career altogether, as it allowed him to
capture the rapid and fresh observations of nature. His growth as an artist may be
claimed to be slow but what is important to note is that the growth was constant
at all times. With the passage of time, his works both with oil paints and water
colors became big and more recognized bringing his concern for naturalism into
greater details.

Final Years

The painting by the name of Gulf Stream is considered as the Apex works of
Homer’s career in the year 1899. Though his paintings spoke for him but he was
completely isolated during his final years. He ultimately died in his Prouts Neck
Studios in the year1910.