On the Stile

On the Stile is a watercolour painting by Winslow Homer from around 1878. The content is slightly unusual for this artist, with its romantic theme, making it an interesting addition to the collection of the National Gallery of Art in the US.

The artist was, of course, best known for his famous seascape paintings, such as Breezing Up (A Fair Wind), The Fog Warning and The Life Line. In truth, though, his oeuvre was actually fairly varied and he took on a good variety of genres across his lifetime. Homer was both prolific and also curious, meaning he could not stick to one style of content for more than a few years at a time. He would also change mediums too, having initially started as a commercial illustrator before moving into oils and then watercolours. He loved the outdoors and would often capture these environments as his backgrounds, with figures in the foreground, just as found here with On the Stile. Normally Homer would draw outlines for his forms in graphite before applying watercolour paint over the top and those fortunate enough to see this painting in person should be able to see some of the original strokes of graphite which remain visible. For example, he would loosely draw in the two main figures, or at least their outlines, before then applying elements of the fence and and stile.

The overhanging tree and elements of the landscape in the background are without the same outlines, suggesting that he left these areas free for his own expression later on. The detail available on this piece also suggests that gouache was used within the painting, besides the normal watercolours and graphite. Homer would have been in his early forties by the time that he produced this painting, by which time he was fully established as a professional painter having switched from illustration more than a decade earlier. He achieved fame for tackling US themes rather than attempting to replicate the European masters, as so many other American artists had done previously. His use of familiar locations drew praise and enthusiasm from the public and over time his reputation would spread abroad. He focused mainly on American regions until later in his career when his travels took him further afield, such as the Caribbean and those new destinations helped to expand his oeuvre yet further.

This charming, romantic painting features two young lovers holding hands across a stile. They are dressed elegantly, typical of the period, and the whole composition reminds us of how life was much simpler in many ways back in the 19th century. The influx of bright light across the grass also brings a positive atmosphere to this piece. Homer's American landscapes could be delivered with relatively few tones of colour, just greens, browns and some grey for the fencing covering most of the composition. The figures themselves are also relatively simple, with watercolours tending not to need quite as much precise detail as might be found within oils. On the Stile offers something slightly different from his career, with a romantic theme, but continues his masterly display of watercolour art which has made him a household name across the US.