Forces of Nature: Friend or Foe?Winslow Homer Noun 1. Winslow Homer - United States painter best known for his seascapes (1836-1910) Homer . American, 1836-1910. The Fog Warning, 1885. Oil on canvas. 30 1/4 x 48 1/2" (76.8 x 123.2 cm). Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of the largest museums in the United States, and contains one of the largest permanent museum collections in the Americas. . Otis Norcross Otis Norcross was an American politician, serving as the nineteenth mayor of Boston, Massachusetts in 1867. Preceded by Frederic W. Lincoln, Jr. Mayor of Boston, Massachusetts 1867 – 1867 Succeeded by Nathaniel B. Fund 94.72. Homer had moved to Prout's Neck, near Portland, on the rocky coast of Maine by 1883. There, for the rest of his life, he painted the sea and those who made their living from it. The Fog Warning was inspired by Homer's trip with a fishing fleet to the Grand Banks off Nova Scotia. Here, the lone fisherman, his dory weighed down by enormous halibut halibut: see flatfish. halibut Any of various flatfishes, especially the Atlantic and Pacific halibuts (genus Hippoglossus, family Pleuronectidae), both of which have eyes and colour on the right side. , tries to reach the mother ship before it becomes enveloped en·vel·op tr.v. en·vel·oped, en·vel·op·ing, en·vel·ops 1. To enclose or encase completely with or as if with a covering: "Accompanying the darkness, a stillness envelops the city" in the dark fog bank on the horizon. The painting explores man's constant struggle with the sea--the source of livelihood, but also of danger. This was the first painting by Homer to enter a public collection. Homer uses repetition of shapes to emphasize the bond between the fisherman and his environment. For instance, the line of the oars parallels the distant horizon line. What other parallels can you find? How do you think this story will play out? Will he return safely? Why or why not? Explain your point of view using evidence from the painting. GalleryCard submitted by Margaret Burchenal, Head of School Programs, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. |
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