Canoes on a Lake
Classification
landscapes
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Gift of Charles Savage Homer, Jr.
Accession Number
1912-12-234
About this artwork
Research in Progress
Art Historical Context
Winslow Homer’s "Canoes on a Lake," painted in 1897, captures the quiet drama of the American wilderness through the eyes of one of the nation’s most celebrated realists. By the late nineteenth century, Homer had moved away from his early career as a magazine illustrator and turned his attention to the natural world, particularly scenes of water, weather, and human endeavor. This landscape, now part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s collection, reflects his mature fascination with outdoor life and the subtle interplay between people and their surroundings. Although the medium remains u...