Winslow Homer - The Gale [1883–93]

Winslow Homer - The Gale [1883–93], a photo by Gandalf's Gallery on Flickr.

Most late-nineteenth-century artists skirted the theme of modern labour by describing pre-industrial toil, often by European peasants and other traditional workers. Even Homer (American, 1836–1910), who eschewed cosmopolitanism, pursued such subjects when he worked in Cullercoats, an English fishing village on the North Sea, in 1881–82. Upon his return to New York, he began this canvas depicting a Cullercoats woman striding along the seawall with the Life Brigade House, several men in foul-weather gear, and a rescue boat in the background. Disappointed by the critics' response, Homer reworked the painting after settling in Prouts Neck, Maine, in summer 1883, paring down the narrative, especially by painting over the background details, and leaving only an emblematic image of female fortitude, a powerful woman confronting the elements with a baby strapped to her back.

[Oil on canvas, 76.8 x 122.7 cm]