Winslow Homer (American, 1836-1910)
Lake St. John, Canada, 1895
Watercolor on paper
14 1/4 x 20 inches
Gift of Nathan and Jessie Kimberly Paine
1946.156
One of America’s most celebrated artists, Winslow Homer was an illustrator, printmaker, and painter in oils and watercolors. He began to use watercolor seriously in 1873 at age 37, and it quickly became a favored medium for recording the artist’s experiences and observations. Watercolor was quick drying and portable, and Homer could take the small, lightweight boxes and paper on boating trips and excursions into the wilderness. Creating over 700 watercolors, Homer developed a more spontaneous technique over time, which allowed him to experiment with light, color, and style depending on the mood and subject.
This excellent example of a watercolor by Winslow Homer dates from one of four trips the artist took with his brother to Quebec, Canada, where they found vast, untouched forests and the beautiful, rugged Lake St. John, which offered the brothers some of the best fishing in North America.