Shooting the Rapids, Saguenay River

Winslow Homer American

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 767

Homer often enjoyed fishing trips in the wilderness of Quebec with his brother Charles. He based this unfinished painting on watercolors created during their last visit to Canada in 1902. Family tradition suggests that it records a perilous canoe journey down the Saguenay River and that Charles is the frightened passenger holding on to the gunwales. Homer only sketchily blocked in details such as the paddles, the foam above a concealed rock in the riverbed, and the guide’s facial features, marking his intended revisions in chalk. The artist’s family believed that he considered the painting complete in its essentials, and donated it to the Museum after his death.

#4373. Winslow Homer: Crosscurrents. Shooting the Rapids, Saguenay River

0:00
0:00
View Transcript
Shooting the Rapids, Saguenay River, Winslow Homer (American, Boston, Massachusetts 1836–1910 Prouts Neck, Maine), Oil on canvas with chalk, American

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.

Shooting the Rapids, Saguenay River, Winslow Homer (American, Boston, Massachusetts 1836–1910 Prouts Neck, Maine), Oil on canvas with chalk, American
Shooting the Rapids, Saguenay River, Winslow Homer (American, Boston, Massachusetts 1836–1910 Prouts Neck, Maine), Oil on canvas with chalk, American
Shooting the Rapids, Saguenay River, Winslow Homer (American, Boston, Massachusetts 1836–1910 Prouts Neck, Maine), Oil on canvas with chalk, American
Shooting the Rapids, Saguenay River, Winslow Homer (American, Boston, Massachusetts 1836–1910 Prouts Neck, Maine), Oil on canvas with chalk, American

This artwork is meant to be viewed from right to left. Scroll left to view more.