Undertow

Undertow is one of Winslow Homer's most famous paintings. It depicts a rescue operation to save women from a dangerous "undertow" wave. This is one of many dramatic scenes produced by the artist.

Homer used the sea as a setting for many works, and used different moods within different paintings. Some would be relatively tranquil, whilst this piece delivers an exciting moment in time. We find rescuers, who resemble Michelangelo sculptures, with their perfectly toned torsos, attempting to save some women who had become overwhelmed by the dangers of the sea. Even these perfect physical specimens, who bravely enter the water to save the ladies then struggle themselves with this ferocious environment. Much of this scene, in the postures of the four figures, will remind many of ancient art and it is believed that Homer may even have studied sculptures from past civilisations in order to prepare this artwork. He delivers it in oils, which best suits the level of detail within this work, but was also highly skilled in watercolours which he used on other seascape pieces. The combination of figurative art and the outdoor environment have made Undertow one of his most studied pieces and it resides today at The Clark Institute in the US.

The scene captures a huge wave coming in from behind, just at the moment that these figures are trying to recover after the women's struggles at sea. With some of the clothing removed, we feel as if nature and humanity is in direct competition, and at this point it appears that nature holds the upper hand. The incident itself is believed to have been witnessed by the artist in person, though his version on canvas will have been dramatised in order to best suit his painting style. He was near Atlantic City, New Jersey, when he witnessed something similar which would ultimately inspire this work. Homer was regularly around the coast line in search of inspiration for his work, and addressed many different marine themes across his career. We all remember some of his depictions of ships, for example, and in later life he switched to a number of shipwrecks as well, which similarly focus on the battles between humanity and nature. The tones used in the waves are also memorable within Undertow, with delightful blue and aquamarine colours lifted this piece, and contrasting with the flesh tones.

Undertow is just one of several items from Winslow Homer's career to be found today at The Clark Institute in the US. They list this piece as being 29 13/16 x 47 5/8 in. (75.7 x 121 cm) when measured without its frame and the item was acquired by Sterling and Francine Clark in 1924, before eventually being gifted to the institution itself. This venue offers a wide selection of mediums from his career too, allowing us to understand his working processes, with watercolours and study drawings also to be found here. He would address marine themes in the likes of Eight Bells and Life Line whose drawings are also to be found elsewhere in this impressive collection. Today we can consider Homer to have been one of the most accomplished and influential American painters who helped to bring about a greater independence to the art being created within this nation, when previously it had more often followed the styles of other nations.