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Breaking Storm, Coast of Maine

A work made of transparent watercolor, with touches of opaque watercolor, rewetting, blotting and traces of scraping, on thick, rough-textured, ivory wove paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

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  • A work made of transparent watercolor, with touches of opaque watercolor, rewetting, blotting and traces of scraping, on thick, rough-textured, ivory wove paper.

Date:

1894

Artist:

Winslow Homer
American, 1836-1910

About this artwork

Breaking Storm, Coast of Maine is a study of bands of juxtaposed color constructed along a strong horizon line, emphasized by a thick, dark line. Despite Homer’s indication of impending bad weather moving in from the horizon, this watercolor focuses on a moment of calm before the storm. The water’s turquoise surface is smooth and tranquil, achieved by pure, transparent washes. The artist’s loose, abstract handling of the rugged shore in the foreground calls attention to the sheer beauty of his brushstrokes.

Homer conjured the effect of land, sea, and sky seen through a veil of rain and humidity by painting wet-on-wet. In this manner, the artist introduced a new wash into one that is still wet, allowing colors to run and blend without solid boundaries. Evidence indicates that Homer learned the practice from studying Japanese ink paintings and began to employ it extensively beginning in 1889.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Winslow Homer

Title

Breaking Storm, Coast of Maine

Place

United States (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

1894

Medium

Transparent watercolor, with touches of opaque watercolor, rewetting, blotting and traces of scraping, on thick, rough-textured, ivory wove paper

Inscriptions

Signed recto, lower left corner, in black watercolor: "HOMER 1894" Inscribed verso, center, in graphite: "M.K.W.C. 1024-//Breaking Storm, Coast of Maine"; upper center, in blue pencil, crossed out in graphite: "No 4"; upper left, in blue pencil: "1896"; upper left, in graphite, "25816"; upper center, in graphite, in a square: "9"

Dimensions

38.4 × 54.6 cm (15 1/8 × 21 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection

Reference Number

1933.1236

IIIF Manifest  The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.

https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/16779/manifest.json

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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