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PEOPLE IN AMERICA - Winslow Homer: America's PainterBy Mario Ritter

Broadcast: Sunday, March 05, 2006

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Barbara Klein with People In America in VOA Special English. Today we tell about Winslow Homer, considered to be the greatest American artist of the nineteenth century. Homer created pictures that showed the relationship between humans and nature. The strong, clear images he drew and painted matched the wild, developing and proud United States of the late eighteen hundreds.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Winslow Homer was the second of three sons of Henrietta Benson and Charles Savage1 Homer. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts in eighteen thirty-six and grew up in Cambridge. His father was an importer of tools and other goods. His mother was a painter. Winslow got his interest in drawing and painting from his mother. But his father also supported his son's interest. Once, on a business trip to London, Charles Homer bought a set of drawing examples for his son to copy. Young Winslow used these to develop his early skill.


Winslow Homer

VOICE TWO:

Winslow's older brother Charles went to Harvard University in Cambridge. The family expected Winslow would go, too. But, at the time, Harvard did not teach art. So Winslow's father found him a job as an assistant in the trade of making and preparing pictures for printed media. At age nineteen, Winslow learned the process of lithography. This work was the only formal training that Winslow ever received in art.

VOICE ONE:

Winslow did this work for about two years. Then the young man decided2 to become an independent illustrator, someone who makes drawings and pictures for a living.

He worked in Boston for a few years, drawing illustrations for stories in several newspapers. He also did work for a magazine that was different from any other of the time. Harper's Weekly, in New York City, needed good illustrations and had lots of space for them. The young Winslow began to establish himself as an artist in demand.

VOICE TWO:

In eighteen fifty-nine, Winslow Homer moved to New York City to work for Harper's Weekly. Homer also started to paint seriously. He hoped to go to Europe to study painting. But, something would intervene3 that would change the direction of Winslow Homer's artistic4 work. Harper's magazine would send him to draw pictures of the biggest event in American history since independence. It was the Civil War between the Union and the rebel southern states.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Winslow Homer went to Washington, D.C., in eighteen sixty-one. He drew pictures of the campaign of Union Army General George McClellan the next year. His pictures of the war showed the many ways that conflicts affect people.

In one illustration, he showed Union soldiers on horses advancing heroically. The Southern Confederate soldiers are shown forced under the feet of the horses, while the horsemen hold their swords high. The illustration is called The War for the Union, Eighteen Sixty-Two 鈥?A Cavalry5 Charge.

VOICE TWO:

In another famous illustration, The Army of the Potomac 鈥?A Sharp-Shooter on Picket6 Duty, Homer showed a different side of war. A soldier sitting in a tree is holding a rifle. He is aiming at a target far in the distance. Many critics say the picture shows the cold, mechanical nature of warfare7, bringing death to the unsuspecting.

Winslow Homer also made a famous painting called Home, Sweet Home. It shows two soldiers listening to music played by military musicians. This was common during the Civil War. At the end of the day, musicians on both sides would play to raise the spirits of soldiers. Often they would play the song Home, Sweet Home.


Home, Sweet Home, 1863, oil on canvas8

Homer painted two Union soldiers preparing a meal. The musicians are in the distance. The two soldiers appear to be stopped in the middle of their preparations by thoughts of home and family.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

Critics widely praised Homer's work during the Civil War. His work gained him membership9 in what is now called the National Academy. One painting, Prisoners from the Front, was chosen to represent the United States at the Exposition10 Universelle. This event was held in Paris, France in eighteen sixty-six. Homer went to Europe for the first time. However, little is known about his stay in Europe.

VOICE TWO:

The next major change in Winslow Homer's life was a decision to work in a new medium. Until now, Homer had used oil-based paints. Colorful substances are mixed with oil. These thick paints can be spread in layers, one over another, to produce interesting effects of light and color.

Oil paints are usually put on canvas cloth. Most people consider oil painting serious painting. But in the summer of eighteen seventy-three, Homer began using watercolor paint.

VOICE ONE:

Watercolor paint is color, or pigment11, dissolved in water. The paint is thin. Sometimes you can see through the paint to the paper underneath12. Watercolor paint can be used to color drawings or by itself. It is a much faster medium than oil painting. But it is a different and difficult skill to learn.

Homer's decision to use watercolor may have been connected with another major decision. Two years after he started using watercolor, he stopped illustrating13 for magazines like Harper's. In doing so, he ended a good way to earn a living. Instead, he decided to make a living only from selling his paintings. He was completely independent. Just as he said he always wanted to be.

VOICE TWO:

One of Homer's best paintings from this period is called Breezing Up. It was shown for the first time in eighteen the rudder, which controls the direction of the boat. The two other younger boys hold on for the ride.


Breezing Up, 1873-1876, oil on canvas

Breezing Up is considered one of Homer's finest paintings. Today, it is part of the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

In the late eighteen seventies, experts say Homer experienced some kind of crisis14. Before, he had been a very social person. But after this period, he withdrew from social activities. Some critics say he had an unhappy relationship with a woman.

Whatever changed him, Homer must have felt a need to escape. He traveled to Britain in eighteen eighty-one. He spent most of his time in the fishing village of Cullercoats, near New Castle. There he painted many pictures of life and events on and near the sea.

VOICE TWO:

Homer returned to the United States the following year. He settled in Prouts Neck, Maine. He would call it home for the rest of his life. His brothers, Arthur and Charles, both owned houses there. It appeared that Homer withdrew from social life. He avoided visits from people wanting to meet America's greatest living painter.

But Homer's later life was also filled with travel, which provided subjects for his paintings. He visited warm places 鈥?nbsp;Bermuda, the Bahamas, Cuba and the American state of Florida. He made several trips to fish and to paint. In these places, he used bright watercolor paints.

VOICE ONE:

Homer also spent time in the Adirondack Mountains in New York State. There he found rich subject matter in the people, hunters and wildlife of the area. But now, a new subject became more important in his work. As he grew older, Homer increasingly painted subjects facing death.

One of Homer's last paintings is called Right and Left. It shows two ducks that have just been shot by a hunter as they fly above the surface of a wide expanse of water. The painting is named for a hunter's trick. It describes how a hunter can use both barrels of a shotgun to bring down two birds very quickly.

In the painting, the water and sky are grey. It is very early in the morning. If you look carefully at the painting, you can see two small points of the color orange. Looking closer still, you can see that one is a small part of a rising sun. The other is more surprising. It is the firing of the shotgun.

Almost hidden behind one of the falling ducks is the boat carrying the hunter. Here, Homer did something very unusual. The observer of the painting is directly in the line of gunfire.

VOICE TWO:

Winslow Homer died at Prouts Neck, Maine, in nineteen ten. He was firmly established as America's greatest painter of the time. You can see many painting by Winslow Homer online at the National Gallery's Web site, www.nga.gov. Click on Search and enter the name Winslow Homer.

(MUSIC)

VOICE ONE:

This program was written and produced by Mario Ritter. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Barbara Klein. Join us again next week for PEOPLE IN AMERICA in VOA Special English.


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 savage ECxzR     
adj.野蛮的;凶恶的,残暴的;n.未开化的人
参考例句:
  • The poor man received a savage beating from the thugs.那可怜的人遭到暴徒的痛打。
  • He has a savage temper.他脾气粗暴。
2 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
3 intervene sb1zX     
vi.干涉,干预,干扰,阻挠
参考例句:
  • When riot broke out,the police were obliged to intervene.发生暴乱时,警察有责任干预。
  • You don't intervene between those two drunks.你不要在那两个酒鬼之间进行调解。
4 artistic IeWyG     
adj.艺术(家)的,美术(家)的;善于艺术创作的
参考例句:
  • The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
  • These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。
5 cavalry Yr3zb     
n.骑兵;轻装甲部队
参考例句:
  • We were taken in flank by a troop of cavalry. 我们翼侧受到一队骑兵的袭击。
  • The enemy cavalry rode our men down. 敌人的骑兵撞倒了我们的人。
6 picket B2kzl     
n.纠察队;警戒哨;v.设置纠察线;布置警卫
参考例句:
  • They marched to the factory and formed a picket.他们向工厂前进,并组成了纠察队。
  • Some of the union members did not want to picket.工会的一些会员不想担任罢工纠察员。
7 warfare XhVwZ     
n.战争(状态);斗争;冲突
参考例句:
  • He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
  • Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。
8 canvas oXGzz     
n.粗帆布,一块油画布
参考例句:
  • The times that people used canvas boat have become history.人们用帆船的时代已成为历史。
  • Smith painted an oil painting on the canvas.史密斯在画布上画了一幅油画。
9 membership ECnx7     
n.成员资格,会员全体,从属关系
参考例句:
  • I must renew my membership of the sailing club.我必须延续我的航海俱乐部会员的资格。
  • He made up his mind to apply for membership in the Party.他决心申请入党。
10 exposition Jhhz8     
n.说明,讲解,展览(会),陈列
参考例句:
  • John gave a very exposition of the facts.约翰把事实解释得很清楚。
  • His pictures were shown at the Paris exposition of 1878.他的画在1878年巴黎博览会上展览过。
11 pigment gi0yg     
n.天然色素,干粉颜料
参考例句:
  • The Romans used natural pigments on their fabrics and walls.古罗马人在织物和墙壁上使用天然颜料。
  • Who thought he might know what the skin pigment phenomenon meant.他自认为可能知道皮肤色素出现这种现象到底是怎么回事。
12 underneath VKRz2     
adj.在...下面,在...底下;adv.在下面
参考例句:
  • Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
  • She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣,里面套着一条连衣裙。
13 illustrating a99f5be8a18291b13baa6ba429f04101     
给…加插图( illustrate的现在分词 ); 说明; 表明; (用示例、图画等)说明
参考例句:
  • He upstaged the other speakers by illustrating his talk with slides. 他演讲中配上幻灯片,比其他演讲人更吸引听众。
  • Material illustrating detailed structure of graptolites has been etched from limestone by means of hydrofluoric acid. 表明笔石详细构造的物质是利用氢氟酸从石灰岩中侵蚀出来。
14 crisis pzJxT     
n.危机,危急关头,决定性时刻,关键阶段
参考例句:
  • He had proved that he could be relied on in a crisis.他已表明,在紧要关头他是可以信赖的。
  • The topic today centers about the crisis in the Middle East.今天课题的中心是中东危机。

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