The Gale

Artist Winslow Homer (American, 1836–1910)

Date1883–1893

Mediumoil on canvas

Dimensionscanvas: 30 1/4 x 48 5/16 in. (76.8 x 122.7 cm)
frame: 46 1/4 × 63 1/2 × 7 in. (117.5 × 161.3 × 17.8 cm)

ClassificationsPaintings

Credit LineMuseum Purchase

Terms

Object number1916.48

Label TextEarly in his career, Homer rose to national prominence for his realistic images of contemporary American life. The tenor of his work changed decisively, however, during a stay in the English village of Cullercoats along the North Sea (1881-1882). Inspired by the hardscrabble lives of the local fisherfolk, Homer turned to exploring the timeless theme of humankind's struggles against nature in powerfully rendered seascapes. When Homer exhibited this painting in New York City in 1883, the reviews were critical. Over the next decade, he reworked the canvas by eliminating a boat, lifesavers, and life-brigade house and transforming the setting from a pier to a rocky, wave-battered shoreline. With its sparer composition and vigorous brushwork, this revised version captures the fortitude of the lone fisherwoman-braving a storm with a baby strapped to her back-and the elemental power of the sea.ProvenanceThomas B. Clarke [1848-1931]; 1883, sold to J. Harson Rhoades [1838-1906] at the World's Fair in Chicago; by descent to Mrs. B. Ogden Chisholm. (By 1916, Snedecor & Co., New York, NY); 1916, purchased by the Worcester Art Museum.

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