Skip to Content
Closed today, next open Thursday. Closed today, next open Thursday.

Prout's Neck, Breakers

A work made of watercolor, with blotting and sanding, over charcoal, on moderately thick, moderately textured, ivory wove paper.
CC0 Public Domain Designation

Image actions

  • A work made of watercolor, with blotting and sanding, over charcoal, on moderately thick, moderately textured, ivory wove paper.

Date:

1883

Artist:

Winslow Homer
American, 1836-1910

About this artwork

Homer’s decision to move to Maine in 1883 presumably indicated his desire to live close to nature—Prout’s Neck was a peninsula known for its rocky coastline and dramatic views of the Atlantic Ocean. Prout’s Neck, Breakers, later the model for the monumental oil painting Early Morning after a Storm at Sea, shows the artist’s continued fascination with the power of the sea. However, unlike his earlier marine works, this and other watercolors made at Prout’s Neck are usually devoid of human activity, exploring nature’s grandeur in its many manifestations. This work also exemplifies important aspects of Homer’s technique as a watercolorist, including the way he layered strokes of color—using a range of light and dark blues—to create the depth and force of the breaking waves. He used the white of the paper to produce a brilliant sheen on the sea, juxtaposed with a hazy sky above.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Winslow Homer

Title

Prout's Neck, Breakers

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.

1883

Medium

Watercolor, with blotting and sanding, over charcoal, on moderately thick, moderately textured, ivory wove paper

Inscriptions

Signed recto, lower left, scraped into brown watercolor pigment: "W. Homer 1883" Inscribed verso, center, in brownish-black ink: "41" [set within a circle]; center, in graphite: "M.K.W.C. 1011-//Prout’s Neck, Breakers"

Dimensions

38.1 × 54.6 cm (15 × 21 1/2 in.)

Credit Line

Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection

Reference Number

1933.1247

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/16815/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.

Share

Sign up for our enewsletter to receive updates.

Learn more

Image actions

Share