Analyzing Winslow Homer's The Boat Builders

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The way that works of art resist to being nailed down to a specific meaning or interpretation can be explained in numerous ways, but two possible answers come to mind; the psychology of the viewer and the time that the painting is perceived versus when it was originally painted.

Predispositions might lead one to view thematic content differently. This phenomenon of the psychology of the viewer will continue such as the various meanings of art works will continue to change. “Winslow Homer in His Art”, written by Jules David Prown, investigates the psychology of the subject and viewer in works by Winslow Homer. Winslow Homer’s The Boat Builders, 1873, represents two boys building toy boats. In the distance, near the horizon, are several large boats in the sea. The Boat Builders acknowledges the yearning the boys have to be around boats, and the development of maturity from playing with toy boats to manning a full ship. Dad’s Coming!, another painting by Winslow Homer, represents a mother, a boy, and a baby waiting by the shoreline. The title of the painting seems enthusiastic, but the painting itself is disconsolate. This leads a viewer to believe that

For example, John Smibert’s Daniel, Andrew, and Peter Oliver, 1732, represents three brothers sitting around a table. However, the painting was commissioned five years after Daniel Oliver’s death. To an unknown viewer, the image would appear semi-realistic despite the image being illusory. Another example of the changing perception of a painting is Thomas Eakins’ Rail Shooting on the Delaware, 1876. Originally named Will Schuster and Blackman Going Shooting, the title change shifts the power to a more balanced weight, similar to the balanced weight of the boat. Painted in 1876, the title would have been much less scandalous than in today’s era. As society changes through time, the meanings of paintings can change as