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"Eight Bells"
“Eight Bells” features two mariners, nearly identical in appearance and outfit. The pair depict two types of looking, one peering out in the distance, the other focused on something close at hand. In their spatial relationship, the two individuals can be construed as a striking metaphor of the scientific counterpoint duality of exploring on one hand the immense vastness of the cosmos and on the other the deep intrinsic probing of microscopic nature. Painted in 1886 this is one of Homer’s most celebrated paintings. |
Pictured at 44 a quiet, strong-willed, terse, sociable nature; and dry sense of humor. Harper's sent Homer to the front lines of the American Civil War (1861–1865), where he sketched battle scenes and camp life, the quiet moments as well as the chaotic ones. He was very private about his personal life and his methods. Perhaps Homer's austere individualism is aptly captured in this curious admonition to artists and painters. |
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