Perils of the Sea
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.During his time at Cullercoats, Homer captured the rhythm of daily life in the village. He often located his paintings at the harbor and along the water’s edge, where the community awaited the return of fishermen from their labor on the harsh North Sea. In these works, Homer celebrated the rugged fortitude of the "fishwives," whom he depicted with a new monumentality, possibly inspired by the Greek sculpture and other European art he had seen in London. Here, he focused on two women to convey the distress caused by the unpredictable whims of nature. From the shore, they scan the horizon for their absent loved ones and anticipate their uncertain return with an anxiety echoed by the dim skies and turbulent waves.
Artwork Details
- Title: Perils of the Sea
- Artist: Winslow Homer (American, Boston, Massachusetts 1836–1910 Prouts Neck, Maine)
- Date: 1881
- Culture: American
- Medium: Watercolor and graphite on wove paper
- Dimensions: 14 5/8 x 20 15/16 in. (37.1 x 53.2 cm)
Framed: 23 x 29 5/16 in. (58.4 x 74.5 cm) - Credit Line: Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Mass. (1955.774)
- Rights and Reproduction: Image courtesy Clark Art Institute, clarkart.edu
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing