Artwork
Mending the Nets
Mending the Nets is a gouache drawing by the Impressionist artist Winslow Homer. It dates from 1882 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:lower left in gray gouache: Winslow Homer 1882; upper center verso in black chalk by unknown hand: G-3 Doll & Richards 48
About this work
Overview
Winslow Homer’s 1882 work titled Mending the Nets is a watercolor drawing executed on wove paper. The composition depicts a quiet street scene in which two women are engaged in repairing a fishing net, emphasizing a moment of ordinary labor rather than a dramatic narrative.
Subject & Meaning
The figures are seated on a cobblestone pavement; one woman holds a spool of thread while the other stitches, both dressed in modest, plain clothing, the left figure covered by a simple headscarf. A wooden stool and a basket of mending tools lie nearby, suggesting the routine nature of their work and the communal aspects of coastal life.
Technique & Style
Homer employs a combination of transparent and opaque watercolor applied over a graphite underdrawing. The handling is loose and sketch‑like, allowing the white of the paper to remain visible and creating a subdued palette that concentrates attention on the activity rather than decorative detail.
History & Provenance
Created in 1882, the piece reflects Homer’s interest in the lives of New England fishermen and their families during the post‑Civil War period. It remains a representative example of his late‑career focus on everyday scenes rendered in watercolor.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Winslow Homer (February 24, 1836 – September 29, 1910) was an American landscape painter and illustrator, best known for his marine subjects.
