The seascapes of Winslow Homer were inspired by his move to Prouts Neck, Maine. Living right next to the ocean expanded his horizons and influenced him to paint new things. This particular piece, “Sunlight on the Coast,” was sparked by a long dreary storm. The irony in the title allows Homer’s audience to visualize a difference in the mood of the painting. Homer wanted to portray the message that light will follow the storm and bad times will come to an end.
At the bottom of the painting and the front of the scene, you see massive waves crashing over the rocks on the shore. There are thicker brushstrokes here indicating rougher waters and bigger, more dangerous waves. The skies above are very dark and appearing foggy indicating a storm. Although the painting is very
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When storms come, the ocean becomes violent and the waves very large. But when the storm is over the transformation is impeccable. Just looking at this painting, I can imagine the seagulls beginning to caw and fly once again. And when the sun comes out and shines its light over the clouds that were once so dark, the sky comes to life. And the grey the covered the sky before turns to beautiful blue with pinks, reds, and oranges. But, before the beauty there is just a small bit of light (portrayed in “Sunlight on the Coast”) that gives us hope that the storm will pass and all will get better.
As Homer’s first pure oil painting, he wanted to do something different than his usual narrative scenes. This painting surprised him and his audience because it was something new and unexpected and it lead him to paint primarily seascapes in the future. Homer wanted to paint many more seascapes because he was intrigued by the way the waves appeared while they crashed onto the rocks. He loved how violent and aggressive the waves were when they crashed among the rocks yet how calm they were so far out in the