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During Winslow Homer’s lifetime,On the Beach at Marshfield hung prominently in the artist’s Kettle Cove cottage on the coastal peninsula of Prout’s Neck, Maine. Following the artist’s death in 1910,both this painting and The Sand Dune (its related sketch), descended into the collection of his brothers, Charles and Arthur. Homer’s brothers identified the seascape as Marshfield, Massachusetts based on familial attachments to the town and titled the present work as such. On the Beach at Marshfield relates to an illustration that Homer completed for the August 17,1872 issue of Harper’s Weekly. Entitled On the Beach–Two Are Company, Three Are None, this Harper’s illustration and the Wolf Family's fully executed oil painting speak to Homer’s engagement with summer beach subjects during this period of his career. This work effortlessly blends his lifelong preoccupation with seascapes and his fascination for the style, garments and customs of societal figures. Homer sought to harness the spirit of American life and leisure in the early 1870s, and On the Beach at Marshfield is one of the finest examples of the painter’s exploration into the world of American leisure.For Homer, though, the depiction of the beaches themselves was paramount to the compositon. Americans were drawn to these coastal towns for a peaceful escape from city living, and captivated by the serene beaches and breathtaking waters. In On the Beach at Marshfield, Homer’s careful application of alternating shades of blue and green offset by white wave crests creates a beautifully-rendered and inviting ocean. The soft sand beaches then merge with the water in a manner that is masterful in its use of both texture and color.
For Homer, the late1860s and the1870s were a time of artistic experimentation and varied output. He resided in New York City, making his living chiefly by designing magazine illustrations and building his reputation as a painter. Still, he found his subjects in the increasingly popular seaside resorts in Massachusetts and New Jersey, and in the Adirondacks, rural New York State, and the White Mountains of New Hampshire.
Homer created so many beautiful paintings in his lifetime and this is one of my favorites. Click below for a wonderful video presentation of Homer's work. Enjoy the rest of the summer.
" All great artists draw from the same resource: the human heart, which tells us that we are all more alike than we are unalike."
Maya Angelou
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