In this ongoing series for Fine Art Today, we take a longer look at the history and features of a soon-to-be-available artwork of note. This week: “The Cove” by a familiar name.
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Winslow Homer (1836-1910) is often recognized as one of the greatest American painters of the 19th century. He was also an accomplished printmaker. Homer’s pictures are best known for their marine subjects and characterized by a high degree of weight and density.
In addition to capturing scenes of everyday life in America, Homer also found himself documenting the terrors of the American Civil War (1861-1865). Among his robust oeuvre are splendid sketches of battle scenes and camp life. All told, Homer was masterful at capturing moments of both quiet and chaos.
Although Homer never taught formally in an academy nor privately, his influence among succeeding generations was — and remains — profound. Particularly powerful was the relationship between man and nature that Homer explored in his work. Among his contemporaries and close admirers were Howard Pyle, N.C. Wyeth (and through him, Andrew and Jamie Wyeth). No doubt Homer was also a point of reference, at least thematically, with the Hudson River School as well.
Among a number of compelling lots by William Adolphe Bouguereau, John Singer Sargent, Claude Monet, and Peter Paul Rubens is a simple yet delightful oil by Homer, titled “The Cove.” Available on January 17 via Miami’s Art Master Collection, “The Cove” displays a quiet waterfront scene. To the viewer’s right, one finds a green boat, which has been stowed upside down. A winding path leads up a hill to a grove of trees along a fence line, capped with a white tent. The colors in the work are magnificent — filled with a full spectrum of pastel grays, blues, reds, oranges, and greens. Auction estimates are fitting for a work of this condition by Homer: between $1 million and $2 million.
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