Winslow Homer by William R. Cross
Winslow Homer was one of 19th century America’s eminent artists. William R. Cross takes pains to show that he was also willing, like Walt Whitman, to embrace the diversity of the republic by representing the common person of any race with empathy and dignity. Cross identifies Homer’s ability for inviting the viewer into his picture, telling stories but allowing the viewer to finish them.
Born into genteel Boston poverty, Homer apprenticed in lithography, a new medium that became the primary source of illustration for periodicals until pushed aside by the newer medium of photography. He made his reputation covering the Civil War for Harper’s, but his legacy revolves around such outstanding paintings as Prisoners from the Front, which endows each figure with character, and Home, Sweet Home, catching rumpled soldiers as they pause between battle in their disheveled encampment.
Winslow Homer: American Passage is a beautifully printed book with many (albeit small scale) full-color reproductions of the artist’s work. The author has compressed a large body of material into a critically lucid account that weaves together hundreds of connections. The challenge is that Homer was a reticent man who mailed few letters and kept no diary. In many instances, Cross can do no more than make intriguing suggestions, resorting to “It is probable that …”; “It is reasonable to expect …”; “probably…” Like the stories he told in pictures, Homer left the narrative of his life to the imagination.
