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Lot Essay
Having established himself as a respected artist in the 1860s with his moving depictions of Civil War soldiers, Winslow Homer solidified his place as a great American artist with his paintings of nostalgic rural life in the following decade. During a time of Restoration for the country, Homer's concentration on the simple ways of the past reflected the need for hope and peace in the nation. At the same time, Homer's tendency toward a contemplative mood in his works acknowledged the feelings of the public in a time of national uncertainty, as well as his own personal disquietude as the artist approached middle age.
The present work was painted during Homer's extended stay in the summer and fall of 1878 at Houghton Farm, a working homestead in Mountainville, New York, owned by Homer's first and most important patron, Lawson Valentine. A varnish manufacturer who eventually owned approximately forty works by the artist, Valentine purchased Houghton Farm in 1876 and soon invited Homer to visit. With its picturesque horses, Jersey cows and Southdown sheep, the farm inspired the artist to create approximately fifty watercolors and several drawings and studies.
The Flock of Sheep, Houghton Farm depicts the Babcock children, a brother and sister who lived in the vicinity of Houghton farm. The pair served as models for a number of Homer’s works from the farm, often pictured exploring the property, tending to the animals or lounging in the fields of the vast farmland. Depictions of the lone girl among the farm lead to another fixation of Homer’s during this period, and she became the iconic shepherdess that defined the Houghton Farm era.
In the present work, the children rest on a shady hill rendered in remarkably well-preserved washes of green speckled with vibrant dashes of orange. The broad purple wash cast behind the figures reflects a simplified terrain. While the sheep nearest the children are depicted in full form, Homer applies short, deliberate strokes of gouache to convey the further rows of grazing sheep, eventually reducing the opaque strokes into mere dashes to define the depth of the forested hillside. This hazy atmosphere is offset by washes of red and spontaneous bursts of rich orange dispersed throughout the foreground, creating the effect of a flowering meadow or perhaps fallen foliage. The children are a prominent point among the freely painted landscape.
The present work closely relates to Boy and Girl on a Hillside of 1878 in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, which exhibits a similar fluidity as the children rest on a hillside captured with varying washes of greens, browns and hints of red. The broad areas of color speckled with more detailed brushwork corresponds strongly to Homer’s technique in The Flock of Sheep, Houghton Farm and again he places the children as the focal point.
Of this period in Homer’s career, Lloyd Goodrich writes, “Concentrating on a few themes and doing them over and over, he gained greatly in skill this summer. His drawings became freer and more playful. Light was clearer, and his color the highest he had attained, far brighter than his oils of the time. The white of the paper was used freely, and the washes were handled crisply and with delightful economy. There was a more planned patterning of light and shade.” (L Goodrich, Winslow Homer, New York, 1944, p. 63)
Indeed, The Flock of Sheep, Houghton Farm exemplifies Homer’s play of light and color to convey the atmosphere of the day. While the children are set within a shady forest, the richness in tonality sets a powerful luminosity on the children. Homer places careful attention to the children’s clothing, conveying defined layers and folds through varying washes to achieve a sense of light peeking through the shady, enclosed space and casting upon the children.
The palpably quiet and pensive setting of The Flock of Sheep, Houghton Farm reflects Homer’s idealized vision of pastoral tranquility. Another 1878 watercolor, Scene at Houghton Farm, in the collection of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C., evokes a similar mood as the children rest in the shade, enclosed by the surrounding nature, as if the nature serves as a shield to the noise of the world outside their intimate space. In the present work, as the young boy turns to face the sheep, the girl sits in a contemplative pose. The meditative atmosphere is a common theme in Homer’s work from this period and perhaps his attempt to capture the effect of the state of the nation in the younger generation.
The Flock of Sheep, Houghton Farm is a stellar example from one of Homer's most acclaimed series. The work encompasses many important themes from this era of Homer's career and exhibits his unmatched skill with the medium of watercolor.
The present work was painted during Homer's extended stay in the summer and fall of 1878 at Houghton Farm, a working homestead in Mountainville, New York, owned by Homer's first and most important patron, Lawson Valentine. A varnish manufacturer who eventually owned approximately forty works by the artist, Valentine purchased Houghton Farm in 1876 and soon invited Homer to visit. With its picturesque horses, Jersey cows and Southdown sheep, the farm inspired the artist to create approximately fifty watercolors and several drawings and studies.
The Flock of Sheep, Houghton Farm depicts the Babcock children, a brother and sister who lived in the vicinity of Houghton farm. The pair served as models for a number of Homer’s works from the farm, often pictured exploring the property, tending to the animals or lounging in the fields of the vast farmland. Depictions of the lone girl among the farm lead to another fixation of Homer’s during this period, and she became the iconic shepherdess that defined the Houghton Farm era.
In the present work, the children rest on a shady hill rendered in remarkably well-preserved washes of green speckled with vibrant dashes of orange. The broad purple wash cast behind the figures reflects a simplified terrain. While the sheep nearest the children are depicted in full form, Homer applies short, deliberate strokes of gouache to convey the further rows of grazing sheep, eventually reducing the opaque strokes into mere dashes to define the depth of the forested hillside. This hazy atmosphere is offset by washes of red and spontaneous bursts of rich orange dispersed throughout the foreground, creating the effect of a flowering meadow or perhaps fallen foliage. The children are a prominent point among the freely painted landscape.
The present work closely relates to Boy and Girl on a Hillside of 1878 in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, which exhibits a similar fluidity as the children rest on a hillside captured with varying washes of greens, browns and hints of red. The broad areas of color speckled with more detailed brushwork corresponds strongly to Homer’s technique in The Flock of Sheep, Houghton Farm and again he places the children as the focal point.
Of this period in Homer’s career, Lloyd Goodrich writes, “Concentrating on a few themes and doing them over and over, he gained greatly in skill this summer. His drawings became freer and more playful. Light was clearer, and his color the highest he had attained, far brighter than his oils of the time. The white of the paper was used freely, and the washes were handled crisply and with delightful economy. There was a more planned patterning of light and shade.” (L Goodrich, Winslow Homer, New York, 1944, p. 63)
Indeed, The Flock of Sheep, Houghton Farm exemplifies Homer’s play of light and color to convey the atmosphere of the day. While the children are set within a shady forest, the richness in tonality sets a powerful luminosity on the children. Homer places careful attention to the children’s clothing, conveying defined layers and folds through varying washes to achieve a sense of light peeking through the shady, enclosed space and casting upon the children.
The palpably quiet and pensive setting of The Flock of Sheep, Houghton Farm reflects Homer’s idealized vision of pastoral tranquility. Another 1878 watercolor, Scene at Houghton Farm, in the collection of the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C., evokes a similar mood as the children rest in the shade, enclosed by the surrounding nature, as if the nature serves as a shield to the noise of the world outside their intimate space. In the present work, as the young boy turns to face the sheep, the girl sits in a contemplative pose. The meditative atmosphere is a common theme in Homer’s work from this period and perhaps his attempt to capture the effect of the state of the nation in the younger generation.
The Flock of Sheep, Houghton Farm is a stellar example from one of Homer's most acclaimed series. The work encompasses many important themes from this era of Homer's career and exhibits his unmatched skill with the medium of watercolor.