Winslow Homer's Fishin

Art is a not only a representation of what we cannot express with words, but it is also something that stirs feeling within us. Winslow Homer's Fishin' (1879) is the epitome of the aforementioned definition. Fishin' is a relatively small, rectangular piece that is horizontally situated. Everything in this painting is harmonious and works well with each other, from the colors, focus, detail and lighting, just to name a few. Fishin' is a master work that deserves much recognition for all the careful planning put into it.

Fishin' is one of those pieces that you may quickly glance at without fully appreciating it. It is also hard to read from afar as well, so viewers might ignore it. There needed to be some way to draw attention to this wonderful

This playful piece makes one think of days out exploring in the woods. There's the calming lake and the beautiful flora, with the children just simply fishing. The children are relaxing on a nice day. In the fast paced world of today, some wish they had the leisure these children have. Not many people are able to do this, like nine to fivers, for example. The children have the time to just slow down and admire the world around them (also keeping in mind that modern workers have trouble reconnecting with nature). They could do nothing for a day, and not have to worry about responsibilities. In addition, referencing back to when this was painted, it makes sense on why Homer would depict this. Fishin' was created during a time of movements, such as the beginnings of the Civil Rights, technological innovations and the Radical Reconstruction. With all these revolutions, post war crises and protests, no wonder Homer created Fishin'. All this chaos and beginnings of corrupt businesses made an exciting, fast paced time. But it was too much. There needed to be a return to the natural, the peaceful environment. Perhaps Homer was influenced by Mark Twain's transcendentalist ideals (or he might have read works by Emerson and Thoreau). Or perhaps he just wanted to immerse himself into calm and sensical nature in this nonsensical, radical period. Moreover, this piece gives you a great look at nature. There's the serene lake, the

There's this certain warmth and spirit inside Fishin'. In the future, I hope that I can learn to really put emotions and feelings such as that into my own work. There was much care put into this. Wow, Homer, seemed to think of everything. He used to fern to draw attention to the right. The viewer would begin to notice the lake. And the direction the children and their fishing poles draw even more attention to it. I think it's great how he used multiple light sources. It's much simpler to do one, but Homer used more and that helps the picture look more natural, especially considering the way trees obscure the light with their leaves, or branches. I also love the use of color. Homer carefully planned what he was going to use, instead of just putting it on willy nilly. He thought of complementaries, and analogous colors and put in them in the right places. Eventually, I hope I master color theory and learn how to coordinate colors as well as Homer. Honestly, there is so much to learn about technique, colors and other rules. One day I hope that I'll be able to utilize them as well as