Prout's Neck, Breaking Wave

Prout's Neck, Breaking Wave is a pivotal work created by the American master, Winslow Homer (1836-1910), in 1887. This powerful depiction of the Maine coast is executed primarily in transparent watercolor, demonstrating Homer’s advanced technical experimentation with the medium during his later career. Unlike traditional washes, the artist incorporated complex methods, including the use of opaque watercolor for crucial highlights, detailed rewetting, blotting, and scraping over a resist material to achieve the textural effect of sea spray and foam. Traces of graphite also indicate the underdrawing or preliminary planning.

Homer moved permanently to his studio at Prout's Neck, Maine, in 1883, and the raw, untamed power of the Atlantic Ocean became the definitive subject of his mature career. The intense focus on the cresting wave and the dynamic energy of the breaking water encapsulates the artist's profound exploration of nature’s sublime and indifferent force. The painting is executed on a medium weight, moderately textured, ivory wove paper, which was subsequently laid down on a cream wove paper support.

This piece stands as a critical example of late 19th-century art from the United States. Homer’s pioneering techniques established him as a true master of American painting, solidifying his reputation as a key figure in American Realism. Held in the esteemed collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, this watercolor continues to inspire studies on the history of the medium. Its renown ensures high-quality prints and reproductions are widely available and studied by art historians and students today.