Winslow Homer

Winslow Homer was late 19th and early 20th century American painter and printmaker. Homer worked in lithography, printmaking, oil, watercolors and several other media. He is most regarded today for his work in landscapes and marine subjects. A lot of his early work focused on rural life in his native New England. This is evident in one of his famous genre paintings currently on display in the St. Louis Art Museum titled The Country School.

Homer was born in February 1836 and grew up outside of Boston. He gained an early interest in art from his mother. He gained an apprenticeship with an illustrator upon graduating from high school. He would work as a commercial illustrator for many popular publications including Harper’s Weekly. His most famous early work comes from his time as a war correspondent for Harper’s during the American Civil War. He was at many battles but his work focused more on the difficulties and everyday life of soldiers at war and not on the actual battles. The Civil War marked a transition in his career from commercial illustrator to painter. Following the war he would study in Paris and his work would focus on idyllic rural scenes including his work The Country School which he painted in 1871 at the age of 35.

The Country School is an oil on canvass painting measuring 21.25 inches by 38.25 inches. The painting shows a New England one room school house and its inhabitants of the time. Homer would have drawn on his experiences as a student in a classroom similar to the one featured in his painting. Many of his works from this period expressed his desire to return to a simpler more peaceful time in his life after the horrors he witnessed during the war. The painting is very detailed and shows stude...

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...years later in Maine. His works would influence the next generations of artists. In 1962 the United States Postal Service commemorated his life and works with a stamp.

The Country School is an example of Homer’s early works influenced by his time in the war. While it is an oil on canvass genre painting, Homer is remembered for his versatility in style and media he used. The painting can be found at the St. Louis Art Museum in the American Art gallery.

Sources:

"The Country School (1871)." Winslow Homer. St Louis Museum of Art, n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2014..

"Winslow Homer." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Jan. 2014. Web. 20 Jan. 2014. .