Artwork
Sunset
Sunset is an oil painting by the American Impressionist artist Winslow Homer. It dates from 1875 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
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- Inscribed:lower right: HOMER
About this work
Technique & Style
The work's formal qualities emphasize a luminous interplay of color and brushwork, contributing to its stylistic significance within 19th-century American art.
Sunset is an oil painting on canvas, created in 1875 with dimensions of 39.4 cm in height and 57.2 cm in width, reflecting Homer's mastery of light and atmospheric depth in the Impressionist tradition.
The work's formal qualities emphasize a luminous interplay of color and brushwork, contributing to its stylistic significance within 19th-century American art.
The painting is part of the National Gallery of Art's collection in Washington, D.C., ensuring its preservation and public accessibility.
History & Provenance
Sunset, an oil on canvas painting by Winslow Homer completed in 1875, entered the collection through a documented inheritance and bequest chain within the Homer family and the Beatty family of Pittsburgh. After the artist's death, the work passed to his brother Charles Savage Homer, Jr. in 1910, then to his wife in 1917, and subsequently to John Wesley Beatty. It remained in the Beatty family, descending to his son John Wesley Beatty, Jr., before being bequeathed to the National Gallery of Art in 1964. The painting's creation history is confined to its 1875 execution, with no further production details recorded.
The painting is held by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Its provenance traces from the artist through his brother Charles Savage Homer, Jr., then to Mrs. Charles Savage Homer, Jr., followed by John Wesley Beatty and his son John Wesley Beatty, Jr., before entering the museum by bequest in 1964. No exhibition history is provided in the sources.
Overview
Winslow Homer’s oil on canvas titled Sunset, dated around 1875, presents a tranquil scene of a solitary figure in a small boat. The composition captures the quiet of evening on a still water surface, with a subtle sky that hints at the day's close. The work exemplifies Homer’s early forays into landscape painting before his later focus on marine subjects.
Subject & Meaning
At the centre of the canvas a lone man, dressed in a hat and long‑sleeved shirt, sits in a modest boat on placid water. Behind him, a line of trees frames a light‑toned sky that suggests the waning light of a sunset. The reflective water mirrors the sky’s hues, creating a contemplative mood that emphasizes solitude and the fleeting nature of twilight.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Winslow Homer (February 24, 1836 – September 29, 1910) was an American landscape painter and illustrator, best known for his marine subjects.
