Artwork
The Beach, Late Afternoon
The Beach, Late Afternoon is an oil painting by the American Impressionist artist Winslow Homer. It dates from 1869 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Winslow Homer's 1870 oil painting The Beach, Late Afternoon presents a coastal landscape populated by human figures.
Winslow Homer's 1870 oil painting The Beach, Late Afternoon presents a coastal landscape populated by human figures. The work focuses on the depiction of a beach environment, capturing a specific moment in the late day. While the composition establishes a clear setting through its genre classification as a landscape, the available records do not elaborate on specific iconographic programs, symbolic meanings, or broader representational themes beyond the literal presence of the shore and its visitors.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil on a wood panel, the work measures 23.5 cm in height and 53.3 cm in width. The handling emphasizes fluid, abbreviated brushwork to capture the transient effects of light and atmosphere across the shoreline. Loose, horizontal strokes define the expanse of sand and water, while more deliberate, calligraphic marks articulate the figures and breaking waves.
The composition is organized into broad horizontal bands, sky, sea, and sand, layered with minimal underdrawing, allowing the grain of the wood support to subtly modulate the surface. A restrained palette of ochres, blues, and whites conveys the late afternoon glow, with the figures rendered as silhouettes against the luminous horizon.
History & Provenance
Winslow Homer created the oil-on-wood landscape The Beach, Late Afternoon in 1870. The work measures 23.5 cm in height and 53.3 cm in width. It is currently held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it is classified within The American Wing. The painting depicts a beach scene featuring human figures.
The Beach, Late Afternoon is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The work, dated 1870, is classified within the museum's American Wing. While the specific inventory or accession number is not provided in the available records, the painting is documented as part of the institution's permanent holdings. No specific exhibition history or past loan records are cited in the provided sources.
Overview
Winslow Homer's The Beach, Late Afternoon, completed in 1869, is an oil on wood painting. This work, housed in The American Wing, exemplifies his early engagement with oil painting after a career as an illustrator. It depicts a tranquil coastal scene, characteristic of his developing interest in marine subjects and the American landscape.
Artist & collection
Artist
Winslow Homer (February 24, 1836 – September 29, 1910) was an American landscape painter and illustrator, best known for his marine subjects.
