High Cliff, Coast of Maine
1894
Medium
Painting
Classification
Painting
Department
Smithsonian Collection
Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
Credit
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of William T. Evans
Accession Number
1909.7.29
Tags
About this artwork
Winslow Homer was known for his robust depictions of nature. In High Cliff, Coast of Maine, the ocean wages a mighty and relentless assault on a rocky cliff at Prout's Neck, one of the artist's favorite spots on the coast. Both the two small figures at the upper right and the tight composition heighten the viewer's sense of the powerful surf.
Art Historical Context
Winslow Homer, a master of American Realism, captured the raw power of nature in *High Cliff, Coast of* (1894). This oil painting depicts the relentless assault of the ocean on the rugged cliffs at Prout's Neck, one of Homer's favorite coastal haunts in Maine. By the 1890s, Homer had retreated to this isolated spot, immersing himself in scenes of the sea's dramatic forces, which became hallmarks of his late-career work. His robust style emphasized nature's unyielding might, free from sentimentality. In the composition, turbulent waves crash against the sheer rock face, their energy amplified ...
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...