Moonlight, Wood Island Light
Homer’s first biographer, William Howe Downes, recounted that the artist was sitting outside his studio one summer evening in 1894 when he exclaimed, “‘I’ve got an idea!’. . . He almost ran into the studio, seized his painting outfit, emerged from the house, and clambered down over the rocks towards the shore.” This picture “was the result of that impulse and four or five hours’ work. . . . It was painted wholly in and by the light of the moon, and never again retouched.” The spot of red pigment on the horizon denotes the lighthouse on Wood Island, to the south of Prouts Neck, Maine.
Artwork Details
- Title: Moonlight, Wood Island Light
- Artist: Winslow Homer (American, Boston, Massachusetts 1836–1910 Prouts Neck, Maine)
- Date: 1894
- Culture: American
- Medium: Oil on canvas
- Dimensions: 30 3/4 x 40 1/4 in. (78.1 x 102.2 cm)
- Credit Line: Gift of George A. Hearn, in memory of Arthur Hoppock Hearn, 1911
- Object Number: 11.116.2
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing
More Artwork
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.