Nostalgia is a strong ingredient in many periods of American art. Americans had their vision of the
“idyllic” days of the early American republic after the Revolution (1776–1783)
shattered by the Civil War (1860–1865), which injured and killed hundreds of
thousands of Americans and caused massive destruction. In the decades following
that war, American artists tried to recapture the essence of “innocent”
America, something that patrons wanted to see.
Homer was already renowned as
an oil painter by 1873. In that year he became interested in experimenting with watercolor. By the 1880s he
was exhibiting with the American Watercolor Society. By the time of his death
he had produced over 700 watercolors. This
painting is one of a series he did on schools and school children. As in
many works like this, the painting has the air of being an illustration due to
the anonymity of the figure and undetermined location. It does, however,
indicate Homer’s keen observation of the human figure and the nuances of indoor
lighting. This scene is thought to depict an art lesson, in which the students
learned how to construct forms using lines in different configurations.
This painting is a scene of
everyday life (genre) without any obvious moral message. However, Homer’s
series on the common activities of rural public schools emphasized a return to
normal life after the horrors of the Civil War. The simple fact of a basic art
lesson has been elevated to iconic value in a society attempting to heal. Ironically,
by the mid-1880s Homer had abandoned figures almost altogether in order to
focus on scenes that represented the power and drama of nature.
Two other Homer school scenes:
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The Red Schoolhouse, 1873. Oil on canvas.(NGA-P1082) |
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Snap the Whip, 1872. Oil on canvas. (BIAA-24) |
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Eastman Johnson, Barn Swallows, 1878. Oil on canvas. (PMA-1732) |
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Martin Edgar Ferrill, Country Dance, 1883. Oil on canvas. (NGA-P1077) |
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Jennie Augusta Brownscombe, Homecoming, 1885. Oil on canvas. (13338) |
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Amzi Emmons Zeliff, The Barnyard, late 19th century. Oil on canvas. (NGA-P1067) |
Activity: A scene
of everyday life. Have students create genre paintings about their life using
watercolor, markers, or colored pencils. Emphasize complementary colors (those
colors opposite each other on the color wheel). In the scene of everyday life,
emphasize lines and shapes. Plan colors by writing down pairs of complementary
colors.
Correlations to Davis
programs: Explorations in Art Grade 1: 5.25, 5.27; Explorations in Art
Grade 3: 3.15; Explorations in Art Grade 5: 1.6; Explorations in Art Grade 6:
1.3; A Personal Journey: 2.1, 2.4; Exploring Visual Design: 10, 7; Discovering
Art History: 12.3