American Paintings - 7 of 8
Winslow Homer
American, 1836-1910
Undertow
1886
Oil on canvas
75.7 x 121 cm
Acquired by Sterling and Francine Clark, 1924
1955.4
Notes:
The dramatic confrontation of humankind and nature dominated Homer's work in the mid-1880s. In the nineteenth century women were rarely taught to swim, and near-drownings were common occurrences. Undertow was based on a rescue that Homer witnessed in Atlantic City, New Jersey, although he arrived at the composition through careful study and great deliberation.
