Essay Sample on Winslow Homer: Comparing Visual Messages in The Fog Warning and The Lookout

The two paintings of Winslow Homer convey different messages to the viewers as they have various points of emphasis. This article seeks to evaluate the visual difference between the paintings of Winslow Homer; The Fog Warning, 1885 (94.72), and The Lookout - "All's Well," 1896 (99.23). The first painting, which is The Fog Warning, 1885 (94.72), gives a deep impression of a determined man who is enduring a strong bond to nature just by the first glance at it. The strength of the man depicted in the painting can be assessed by the relationship with nature, which clearly represents a calamity that the man is facing relentlessly. Even though the storm and the strong waves may appear to be extreme for the fisherman, he seems to be strong as part of nature by portraying focus and determination to sail across the storm and make it back home.

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On the other hand, the painting of The Fog Warning, 1885 (94.72), is different in the sense that it does not portray a strong bond with nature as the man in the painting appears to have been suppressed by nature and is seeking safety. The facial expression of the man in the image sends a message of fear and loss of hope through the extreme condition presented by nature. Additionally, the setting of the first painting, The Fog Warning, 1885 (94.72), comprises a generally darkish shading even though the boat is dominated by brighter coloring, which sends a message of a surety that the fisherman will make it home to safety. There is also a lighter part on the upper section of the sky, which implies that the storm is not directed towards the man in the boat hence the possibility that he can make it to safety.

Generally, the coloring trend that leaves the ship brighter implies that the man is more enlightened regarding the forces of nature. However, the other painting of The Lookout - "All's Well," 1896 (99.23), comprises mostly of a general darkish color, which portrays the intensity of the calamity of nature. The part of the horizon that is visible appears to be greyish, which depicts the coverage of the storm in the sea. Also, the boat and the man are covered in a darkish color, which implies that the unpredictable circumstance of nature directly faces them. There is an illusion of depth hence three-dimensionality in the painting The Fog Warning, 1885 (94.72) such that the picture consists of three distinct layers if the boat and the fisherman are removed. The bottom layer is made up of the rough sea, which appears to be the darkest, then the middle layer, which comprises of the dark clouds on the horizon together with the brighter part of the sky, which is the third layer.

The illusion of depth is depicted in the way the sections of the dark clouds are aligned towards the sky vertically to the left, which is the point that the fisherman focuses on. Consequently, the other painting The Lookout - "All's Well," 1896 (99.23), also depicts an illusion of depth from the perspective of three-dimensionality considering the different layers of color in the painting. The first layer is the bottom-most layer, which is the darkish part of the boat followed by the middle part of the sky, which is covered by the storm, and lastly, the topmost part of the air that seems darkish as an impact of the storm. The painting of The Fog Warning embodies a narrative that is not fascinating because it portrays a moment of hardship and struggles with the vagaries of nature. Therefore, the meaning of the painting can be considered harmful because there is no certainty that the fisherman can survive the storm and make it back home alive.

However, the brighter colors of the painting are symbols of hope amid mystery, which is illustrated in the picture. The photo does portray not only a negative message from the vagary of nature, but also the distance of the mother ship, which is undoubtedly far enough, and the fisherman can hardly reach it. Similarly, the painting of The Lookout - "All's Well" also embodies a narrative of despair and tragedy. The desperation and drama in the picture can be deduced from the facial expression of the man who appears to be in a ship amid the storm in the sea. The boat seems to be tilted based on the positioning of the painting, and the man shows signs of fear with an attempt to seek refuge from a covered position in the ship.

In the two paintings by Winslow Homer, there is a visible texture that is created by the brushwork. For instance, there is the apparent texture of the storm and waves in the first painting of The Fog Warning, while in the second painting, there is the visible texture on the surface of objects represented in the picture. Even in the first painting of The Fog Warning, there is also a visible texture of the brushwork of the photograph in the representation of the sky and even the surface of the boat on the sea. Both paintings correspond with the canvas shape, which is evident because there is no sign of cropping of the pictures from the original canvas shape. Hence, there is no slicing of the paintings at the borders, which limits the presentation on the arts. In the first painting of The Fog Warning, there is no effect of the picture on the display of the details.

However, in the second painting, the artist seems to have cut out important information like the condition of the dark waters even though the picture corresponds with the canvas shape. On the other hand, the artist has established vantage points in the paintings; hence the objects in the arts are represented like they are directly in front of the eye. Consequently, in both paintings, the artist has established a mood of fear, which is portrayed from the facial expression and the struggles with the vagaries of nature depicted in both pictures. In the first painting, the storm and the battle of the fisherman seem to be convincingly realistic, just like the impression on the man seeking refuge from the wind in the second painting. In the first painting The Fog Warning, the elements that are emphasized are the storm and waves and the battling fisherman who is struggling to make it to safety. However, the aspects of the painting that are not highlighted are the mothership in the picture and also the lighter horizon, which seems to be the only point of hope of the fisherman.

In the other painting, The Lookout - "All's Well," the aspect that is emphasized is the man seeking refuge from the storm and the tilted part of the ship together with the sky, which appears to be darkening. However, the aspect which is less emphasized is the dark part of the sea waters because the painting embodies the frustration experienced by the man in the ship going through a storm. Generally, both paintings portray compelling narration of catastrophic events in the sea, which seems convincingly realistic hence creating a mood of terror and fear imposed by the vagaries of nature. The figures in the paintings are also presented with ultimate reality as if they are directly in front of the eye.

However, there is variation in the degree of details given in both paintings as the first painting, The Fog Warning, emphasizes on the storm and the struggles of the fisherman to arrive in safety. Nevertheless, the portrait of The Lookout - "All's Well" varies from the initial painting in detail because it emphasizes the state of despair of the man seeking refuge from the storm and the waves. Generally, both pictures are impressive, and the artist has effectively unified the colors to obtain three-dimensionality, hence the illusion of depth in the paintings. Lastly, the paintings both convey a message of negativity regarding the safety of the fisherman amid the storm and waves in the sea, even though there may be the symbolism of hope from the coloring used in some facets of the paintings.