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Winslow Homer

English Coastal Scene, 1883

Description

Maker

Title

English Coastal Scene

Year

1883

Medium

Watercolor and graphite on paper

Materials/Techniques

Materials

Supports

Dimensions

37.9 x 54.6 cm (14 7/8 x 21 1/2 inches)

Signature / Inscription / Marks

Inscribed in ink on verso, UC towards right:40

Type

Credit

Gift of Minnie E. Kelley in memory of Sydney Clarke

Object Number

75.058

Projects & Publications

Publications

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Landscape and Leisure

March 13 - July 19, 2015

Homer traveled to the North Sea village of Cullercoats, England, in the spring of 1881 and stayed there until November 1882. Living in semi-isolation, he painted coastal scenes and life in the fishing village. Here he depicts a woman—diminutive beside a boat—bracing herself against the wind and spray. Wet-on-wet layering, blotting, and some wet scraping suggest the damp atmosphere.

For all the immediacy of the work, the type of paper used suggests that Homer may have painted it from memory after returning to America.

Tradition and Innovation in American Watercolors

January 27 - April 11, 1999

In the years following his Houghton Farm visits, Homer enlarged his technical and subject repertoire in a wholly new environment. He sailed to England in the spring of 1881 and established residence in the North Sea fishing village of Cullercoats, remaining there until November 1882. English Coastal Scene depicts a woman's interaction with the harsh environment of the village, a familiar theme from this period. Evidence of Homer's adoption of such English techniques as blotting, scraping, and repainting mark a profound turning point in his career as a watercolorist.

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is English Coastal Scene with the accession number of 75.058. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.