The old Chinese saying “Good things come in pairs” comes to mind when I think of the Butler Institute of American Art and Winslow Homer (1836-1910).
The Butler was the very first art museum in the world to be devoted solely to American art when it was dedicated in 1919.
One of the first pieces in the collection – and, in many ways, one of its crown jewels – is Winslow Homer’s 1872 oil on canvas. In fact, it has recently been wonderfully reframed.
Throughout the painting, there are many pairs of figures, some of them nearly identical. The lone exception is the boy being pulled in two directions; his white shirt resembles a cross against the red schoolhouse. Some say this is a nod to the tension between childhood and the new world of adults, and I wouldn’t disagree.
It is a moment before your gaze pulls up to the majestic hills and crisp fall sky clearly presented to us by Homer. Homer was master of several mediums, especially watercolor, all the more remarkable because he had no formal training.
Another “best” this summer is the Annual National Juried Show: 76th National Midyear Exhibition at the Butler Institute of American Art, 524 Wick Ave. in Youngstown.
Michael McEwan is a full-time artist who also teaches in his Clintonville studio. He is represented by Keny Galleries.
CREDIT:
Winslow Homer (1836-1910)
SNAP THE WHIP (1872)
Oil on canvas
22 x 36 inches
Collection of The Butler Institute of American Art, Youngstown, Ohio
Acquired, 1919
