Cannon Rock
1895
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
40 x 40 in. (101.6 x 101.6 cm)
Classification
Painting
Culture
American
Department
The American Wing
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of George A. Hearn, 1906
Accession Number
06.1281
Tags
Art Historical Context
Winslow Homer’s *Cannon Rock* (1895) is a striking oil-on-canvas seascape that measures a balanced 40 by 40 inches. The square format draws the eye directly into the churning Atlantic, where powerful waves crash against a rugged outcrop. As an American painter celebrated for his marine subjects, Homer used the rich textures and luminous qualities of oil to convey both the beauty and the force of the sea. Created late in Homer’s career while he lived on the coast of Maine, the painting reflects a period when many American artists turned to nature’s drama for inspiration. The work’s placement i...
About the Artist
Winslow Homer · 1836–1910
Winslow Homer (1836-1910) was one of America's greatest painters and a preeminent figure in 19th-century American art. Largely self-taught, Homer began his career as a commercial illustrator and Civil War correspondent for Harper's Weekly before becoming renowned for his powerful marine subjects and landscape paintings. His mastery of both oil and watercolor, combined with his uncompromising reali...