FREE ESSAY ON BREEZING UP WINSLOW HOMER

BREEZING UP WINSLOW HOMER

The 1873 masterpiece Breezing Up, by Winslow Homer located in the
National
Gallery of Art in Washington DC is an oil on canvas painting that
measures 23
3/13 X 38 1/6 in.. The primary subject of this painting is a man with
three
boys in a small wooden sail boat that is moving along with what appears
to be a
fairly choppy sea.
At the center of this painting is the stern of the sail boat. The
oldest of the boys is sitting on the high end of the stern with his
knees up
and his bare feet planted flat on the deck in order to keep him from
slipping
down into the water. This image forms a powerful triangle in the center
of the
painting. The boyOs use of only one hand on the tiller line combined
with his
relaxed posture suggest that he is very much at ease with his
responsibility of
steering the boat. His face is only visible in a semi-profile view
which
exposes his chin, left cheek, and eye socket. These features are well
defined against thick layers of puffy clouds which are lingering over
the
water. Like the others in the boat he is facing away from the setting
sun
which causes the light to reflect off the back of his long sleeved shirt
and
hat.
Just to the boyOs right is the man in the boat who is presumably the
father of the boys. His seated position below the deck allows the
viewer only
to see his face shoulders, arms, and hands. His red long 
sleeved shirt is the brightest color in the painting, and his calloused
hands
show strength as he holds the halyard firm in the cleat with a fully
extended
arm. Of the four people in the boat he is the only one with a troubled
look on
his face.
According to David Prown this is a very common characteristic in
HomerOs work. He says:
Although the adults of HomerOs world seem isolated, his
children frolic together in a cheerful world of laughter and mutuality.
For
Homer, growing up seems to imply a loss, a fall from paradise, removal
from
happy, carefree innocence and high spirits to a serious, lonely
existence in
which each man is an island unto himself. (Prown 86) 
This is the perfect description of the expressions of the people in this
painting. The children are clearly relaxed and content, but the father
has an
expression that suggests that he has something weighing heavy on his
mind, and
that he is receiving only temporary relief as he relaxes on the water
with his
sons. 
The other two boys are relaxing up towards the bow of the boat. The
older of the two is stretched out across the deck covering the width of
the bow
with his leather shoes hovering inches over the 
water. The youngest of the boys is sitting up right on the deck with 
his feet resting inside the boat and he has a pleasant look of deep
thought on
his face. Clearly all of these boys are relaxed and content with their
surroundings. Numerous fish inside of the boat suggest that this group
has had
an afternoon of fishing and recreation. They are not dressed for
serious
fishing, so there is a good chance they are out there strictly for
leisure. 
A building off the bow on the distant shore is barely visible, and
combined with the long shadows of the setting sun, it seems that they
are
heading home. Homers soft blue sky and puffy white clouds take up 2/3
of the
canvas, leaving only the bottom third for the water and the horizon.
The sky
is completely empty except for a lone gull whoOs wings are lit up by the
sun as
is hovers directly in line with what appears to be a tiny illuminated
sail of
another boat on the very distant horizon. 
Homer also has an uncommon ability to recreate curves just as they
would appear in nature. He uses this ability to capture the shape and
form of
the rolling waves in the sea, by even more than that he uses it to
capture the
human experience. The use of the sunlight as it reflects off the cloths
of the
people in the boat adds to the realistic nature of this painting. The
wrinkles
of white cotton shirts of the boyOs are accented brilliantly as the sun
illuminates and caused shadows on different parts of their arms. The
four
people in this painting express more with their body language that they
do with
their facial expressions. Particularly the curve of their backs is
evidence of
their state of relaxation. In the children there is no 
evidence of tension in their bodies. This is in contrast with the
father's
posture where tension is quite evident. 
The viewer's position directly off the stern of the sailboat is a
privileged one. It allows Homer's style of American realism to be truly
revealed. The exact details of the small wooden boat are astonishing. 
He
captures everything from the stitches in the sail to the twist of the
lines.
Even the grain of the wood in the hull and the mast are perfectly
visible. The
attention to detail is magnificent. The use of light and shadows across
the
sail form a drastic contrast. This contrast gives the viewer a real feel
for
the way the sun is shinning across the water. The spray of water that
washes
over the bow as the boat bounces through the choppy water is another
example of
HomerOs close attention to detail. There is also a merchant ship on the
horizon
on the right side of the canvas that though distant still retains a
great deal
of detail. The sense of comfort and serenity on the boyOs faces is an
interesting contrast to the expression of worry on their fathers face, 
but
this worry clearly is not related to their situation on the water.
This work was completed towards the early part of Homer's painting
career, and this is apparent by the look and shape of the water. As
his life
progressed, Homer began to focus on the power of the water in the sea, 
and he
earned a reputation for being one of the best painters of his time in
regards
to his ability to capture the motion and and power of waves. In this
painting
there is less attention given to the water causing it to have very
general and
undefined characteristic. This neutral aspect of the water gives the
painting
an over all feel of relaxation and comfort. 
Prown gives an interesting description to this painting in in his book
American Painting From its Beginnings to the Armory Show. In this book
he
states:
Breezing Up is a seagoing version of Snap the Whip. The boys exert a
mutual
effort for their common delight. One adult is present, briefly
privileged to
share their pleasure. The day is sunny; the air and water are alive.
Wind fills
the sails, and the boat fairly shudders as it drives through the choppy
sea.
The thrust of air against the canvas pulls every line taut, and hands
work to
hold this living machine, quick with the breath of nature under control.
(Prown
87). 
This is a nice description of the work. It seems that one of this
paintings
main focuses is the pleasure and beauty of children in nature.
Bibliography
Prown, Jules. American Painting From its Beginnings to the Armory Show. World Publishing.
Cleveland, Ohio. 1969.