Schooner - Nassau

Schooner - Nassau is a masterful late watercolor by Winslow Homer American, 1836-1910, executed between 1898 and 1899. This painting captures a characteristic marine subject stemming from Homer’s extensive travels to warmer regions outside of the United States. Homer employed a highly sophisticated watercolor technique, utilizing transparent pigment augmented by traces of opaque watercolor. The complex layering and surface effects were achieved through meticulous rewetting, blotting, and scraping of the medium over a graphite sketch, demonstrating his profound virtuosity in this challenging classification of painting. The support is equally notable: a thick, rough twill-textured, ivory wove paper, which contributes significantly to the textural richness and dynamism of the composition.

By the turn of the century, Homer (1836-1910) was widely regarded as America’s foremost marine painter. His frequent trips to locations like Nassau provided him with ample opportunity to study the dramatic effects of tropical light and atmospheric conditions on sailing vessels and the open sea. This piece focuses intensely on the schooner as it navigates the water, rendering the scene with powerful immediacy and control. The work stands as a prime example of his mature style and late career interests. The original painting resides in the esteemed permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. As a significant American artwork, the image is frequently studied, and high-quality prints derived from this public domain work are widely accessible.