Winslow Homer at Prout's Neck

Book excerpt: Winslow Homer was the antithesis of the unkempt bohemian artist of the nineteenth century. He not only always maintained the appearance of an English country gentleman, but was also an everyday sort of man, both in his life and his paintings. Yet he is ranked as one of America's greatest painters. The reason is not hard to discover, for Winslow Homer's powerful epic statements spoke for America with a breadth that few other artists have achieved. This is a lively, intimate, and immensely readable portrait of the artist that throws a new light on Homer's life and puts it in fresh perspective. This biography concentrates on Homer's years at Prout’s Neck on Maine’s rugged coast, where he would create his finest paintings, from 1883 until his death in 1920.