Winslow Homer
The Life Line
1883
Physical Qualities
Etching, Sheet: 314 x 441 mm. (12 3/8 x 17 3/8 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Blanche Adler
Object Number
1936.8
Between 1884 and 1889, Winslow Homer made a group of eight etchings based on his epic paintings of the sea. The creation of these etchings enabled Homer to revisit, redraw, and reinvent his scenes of men struggling against the forces of nature. In the case of "The Life Line" and "Eight Bells", Homer simplified and arguably strengthened his compositions, cropping the backgrounds and eliminating superfluous details so as to focus on the central protagonists, who have become larger in proportion to the overall composition. In "Eight Bells", two sailors take measurements with their sextants to determine their ship’s position. The silhouettes of their strong and heroic profiles are set against a seemingly vast expanse of sea below and sky above, both rendered in a remarkable swirl of vigorously etched lines.
Bought from Kennedy and Co.
BMA, "Master Prints II: Daumier to Picasso," 25 October, 1983 - 15 January, 1984.
BMA, "Etchings in America, 1875-1940: Selections from the Museum Collection," 5 November 1985 - 2 March 1986.
Jay Fisher, BMA, "Old Master Drawings from the BMA and Gilmor Collections," 10 October - 10 December, 1989.
Rena Hoisington, The Baltimore Museum of Art, "New Arrivals: Gifts of Art for a New Century," February 7-May 8, 2016.
BMA, "Etchings in America, 1875-1940: Selections from the Museum Collection," 5 November 1985 - 2 March 1986.
Jay Fisher, BMA, "Old Master Drawings from the BMA and Gilmor Collections," 10 October - 10 December, 1989.
Rena Hoisington, The Baltimore Museum of Art, "New Arrivals: Gifts of Art for a New Century," February 7-May 8, 2016.
Inscribed: Signed l/l on plate, Homer, 1884; at right, Copyright 1884, Winslow Homer.
