Image source: Wikimedia Commons (Public domain). View source
Breezing Up (A Fair Wind)
Winslow Homer · Realism & Academic
- Artist
- Winslow Homer (1836–1910)
- Date
- 1873–1876
- Dimensions
- 61.5 x 97 cm
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Location
- National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., United States
Breezing Up shows a small catboat heeling over in a brisk wind off the New England coast, carrying a fisherman and three boys home with their catch, as the boat cuts through choppy green-grey waves.
A closer look
The boat leans sharply, its sail full of wind, and one boy sits on the high side to balance it, his bare feet braced. Another boy holds the tiller, while the youngest lies in the bottom of the boat, gazing at the sky. The bright light, the white-capped waves and the tilted horizon convey the exhilaration of speed and fresh air. Painted in the years after the American Civil War, the picture was read as an image of youth, confidence and a nation sailing towards a hopeful future.
