← Winslow Homer

Deer-Stalking in the Adirondacks in Winter (Every Saturday, Vol. II, New Series)

Original title: Deer-Stalking in the Adirondacks in Winter (Every Saturday, Vol. II, New Series)

Artist

Winslow Homer

Date

January 21, 1871

Medium

Wood engraving

Dimensions

sheet: 10 9/16 x 14 5/8 in. (26.8 x 37.1 cm) image: 8 7/8 x 11 3/4 in. (22.5 x 29.8 cm) block: 9 1/8 x 12 1/16 in. (23.2 x 30.6 cm)

Credit line

Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1930

kurzbeschreibung

Unlike many hunting scenes of the period, which fixate on the kill or the moment of impact, this 1871 wood engraving by Winslow Homer dwells on the journey itself: two men trudging through a snow-covered forest in the Adirondacks, the mountain region of northern New York State. Homer made the image as an illustration for the magazine Every Saturday.

Description

Two figures in winter gear — jackets, caps, snowshoes — plod across the sheet, each carrying a gun. A dog approaches them from among the tree trunks behind. The layout depends on delicate lines and cross-hatching that give the print its texture. Kept monochrome in graded grays, it brings out the grain of the wood and the surface of the snowy ground. Soft, diffuse light washes over the view, lending it a sense of calm.

Context

The weekly Every Saturday appeared in Boston from 1866 to 1874 and printed Homer's work several times during those years. In the 1860s and early 1870s the artist supplied illustrations regularly to various publications before painting became his main focus. In the 19th century the Adirondacks were a favored destination for hunting and recreation among well-off Americans; Homer himself would later travel there repeatedly.

Impact

What the print radiates is less drama than composure: the men move deliberately on their snowshoes, the guns seeming more like ordinary baggage. The restrained gray tones and crisp lines reinforce the quiet, almost graphic character of the winter mood and let the viewer walk alongside the hunters.

Technique

For printing, the image was cut into a wood block and then pulled; the white lines and tight hatching reveal this wood-engraving technique, standard in 19th-century printmaking. The sheet measures 26.8 x 37.1 cm, the actual image area 22.5 x 29.8 cm.

AI-generated description text

Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art · Public Domain (CC0 1.0)