Meghan Moriarty: Winslow Homer

Winslow Homer was known for being an extremely important painter and figure of American art of the 19th century. He was known for being a quiet, strong-willed person with a dry sense of humor. He lived his life based on the quote, "leave rocks for your old age- they're easy."

Homer was born in Boston and raised in Cambridge. His mother was watercolorist, like he would come to be. Homer and his mother had a very close relationship, and she contributed a lot to his painting career. Homer's father was opposite from the tranquil wife he married. Homer's father "always looking to make a kill" he hopped from opportunity to opportunity to make any sort of money. He went after the California Rush. When that was a fail, he abandoned his family and moved to Europe to look for profit. Homer did average in school, but excelled in art naturally. 

After high school, Homer went on to settle in New York in 1859. He opened a studio on Tenth Street Studio Building. He began his work, first, as a commercial illustrator mostly doing oil painting and water painting. Homer traveled all over. He went to Massachusetts, New Jersey, France, Canada, Florida, England, and the Caribbean. During his travels he really found himself as a painter, and developed his talent, passion, and detail in water color. 

Harper's Weekly was where Homer began his Civil War paintings. He painted battle scenes and showed the affects of the war on the home front, as well. Some famous paintings by Homer included, The Veteran in a New Field and The Prisoners from the Front reflect the war's impact. Homer did not prevail the Civil War in a pretty picture. He brought out the true atrocities. After the war Homer turned to painting women and children. He did a lot of these paintings while traveling through Virginia and off the coast of Maine.

Being a scenic painter, his paintings changed widely. He went from early stages of painting war, to his later stages of painting children. In the later 1880s after his mother's death Homer became a caretaker for his father. His father later died in 1898. In 1900, Homer finally reached financial stability. Homer died at the age of 74 on September 29th, 1910. The Painting he was working on Shooting the Rapids, remains unfinished till this day.

“You will see, in the future I will live by my watercolors," Winslow’s art is seen all over today, being so famous for water colors, which you see in almost every out-door magazine. 

"Winslow Homer (1836-1910)." Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2013. <http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/homr/hd_homr.htm>.

"Winslow Homer and His Paintings." Winslow Homer. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Oct. 2013. <http://www.winslowhomer.org>.

"Winslow Homer." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Sept. 2013. Web. 02 Oct. 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winslow_Homer>.