Elena Rossi
Winslow Homer's Eight Bells is an oil painting from 1886 that has been exhibited at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art, the Addison Gallery of American Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The painting depicts two mariners, both similar in appearance and attire, with one looking out to sea and the other focused on his instrument. This work explores the relationship between painting and photography, as Homer himself owned cameras and used photography as a reference for his paintings.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Artist | Winslow Homer |
| Year | 1886 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Owner | Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover, MA |
| On loan to | Bowdoin College Museum of Art |
| Dimensions | 19 x 24 1/4 in. (48.3 x 61.6 cm) |
| Exhibition history | The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Museum of Graphic Art, New York; Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts, San Francisco |
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What You'll Learn
The painting is by Winslow Homer
"Eight Bells" is a painting by the American artist Winslow Homer (1836-1910). It was painted in 1886 and is considered one of his most celebrated works. The painting depicts two mariners, identical in appearance and outfit, with one looking out to sea through a nautical instrument, while the other looks down at his instrument, reminiscent of a painter studying his palette. This work may have been a self-portrait, as it bears similarities to the artist himself, looking out from the second-floor balcony of his studio at Prout's Neck.
The oil on canvas painting is currently part of the collection at the Addison Gallery of American Art at Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts. It was loaned to Bowdoin College for an exhibition in 2018, titled "Winslow Homer and the Camera: Photography and the Art of Painting." The exhibition explored Homer's interest in photography and how it influenced his artistic practice, despite his lack of direct discussion or formal exhibition of photographs.
"Eight Bells" has been exhibited at various museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, as part of their distinguished collection of drawings and prints. The painting has also been reproduced by TOPofART, offering museum-quality oil painting reproductions on canvas.
The work measures 19 x 24 1/4 inches (48.3 x 61.6 cm) and is inscribed with "Winslow Homer" in graphite in the lower right corner. In 1888, when "Eight Bells" was exhibited, it received critical acclaim for its complex depiction of the colour and motion of the waves, the sunlight breaking through dark clouds, and the sturdy character of the sailors.
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It was painted in 1886
"Eight Bells", by Winslow Homer, was painted in 1886. It is an oil painting on canvas, featuring two mariners, in identical outfits, with their instruments. One is looking out to sea, while the other is focused on his device. The painting is a highlight of the exhibition "Winslow Homer and the Camera: Photography and the Art of Painting", hosted by the Bowdoin College Museum of Art. The exhibition explores the relationship between photography and painting in Homer's work, as he was attuned to appearances and the representation thereof.
The painting was executed at a time when sales of Homer's work were slow, and he complained about the lack of profits. "Eight Bells" was the first oil painting Homer had sold in three years, for $400, which was considered a low price. The painting was exhibited in 1888 and received praise from critics, who noted its complexity and naturalistic rendering.
In 1887, Homer produced an etching based on "Eight Bells", where he minimised the ship's rigging and sky to focus more on the figures. The painting is currently part of the collection at the Addison Gallery of Art, Phillips Academy, Andover. It has also been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, as part of their distinguished collection of drawings and prints.
"Eight Bells" is one of Winslow Homer's most celebrated paintings. It is considered a heroic image, with the two figures dominating the foreground, and the details of the ship rendered minimally. The painting captures the colour and motion of the waves, the strength of the clouds, and the character of the sailors.
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It is an oil painting
"Eight Bells" is an oil painting by Winslow Homer, completed in 1886. It is one of Homer's most celebrated paintings, featuring two mariners in the foreground, with the details of the ship in the background being minimally rendered. The painting is a highlight of the exhibition "Winslow Homer and the Camera: Photography and the Art of Painting", hosted by the Bowdoin College Museum of Art.
The oil on canvas painting is a gift of an anonymous donor to the Addison Gallery of American Art at Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts. The Addison Gallery of Art has generously loaned the painting to the Bowdoin College Museum of Art for their exhibition.
"Eight Bells" showcases Winslow Homer's interest in the emerging medium of photography during the late nineteenth century. While he never spoke directly about photography, he owned at least three cameras and used them frequently at Prout's Neck and during his travels beyond Maine. The composition of "Eight Bells" may have been influenced by his experimentation with photography, as it captures a moment through two different types of looking: one mariner peers into the distance, while the other focuses on something close at hand.
The painting is a significant work in Homer's career, as it was the first oil painting he had sold in over three years, even though it was for a reportedly low price of $400 (approximately $13,000 today). When "Eight Bells" was exhibited in 1888, it received critical acclaim for its complexity and naturalistic rendering. This positive reception may have encouraged Homer to return to oil painting in 1890, after a period of disappointment and struggle finding buyers for his work.
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It features two mariners
"Eight Bells", painted in 1886 by Winslow Homer, is a highlight of the exhibition "Winslow Homer and the Camera: Photography and the Art of Painting", hosted by the Bowdoin College Museum of Art. The painting is on loan from the Addison Gallery of American Art at Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts.
The painting features two mariners, who are nearly identical in appearance and outfit. One of the mariners is looking through a nautical instrument out to sea, while the other is looking down at his instrument. The two figures dominate the foreground of the painting, with the details of the ship being minimally rendered. The moment depicted is prosaic yet presented as a heroic image.
The two mariners may represent two types of looking: one peering out in the distance, the other focused on something close at hand. This spatial relationship is similar to the subjects represented in the motion study photographs of Homer's contemporaries, Thomas Eakins and Eadweard Muybridge.
The painting also showcases Winslow Homer's understanding of the complementary relationship between photography and painting. Despite never speaking directly about photography, he owned at least three cameras and used them frequently.
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It has been exhibited at Bowdoin College
Winslow Homer's "Eight Bells" was exhibited at Bowdoin College in 2018. The painting, created in 1886, is one of Homer's most celebrated works and was loaned to the college by the Addison Gallery of American Art at Phillips Academy for the summer exhibition. The exhibition, "Winslow Homer and the Camera: Photography and the Art of Painting", aimed to explore the relationship between Homer's art and photography, a medium that he believed complemented his artistic interests.
"Eight Bells" is an oil painting that depicts two mariners, both similar in appearance and attire. One of the figures looks out to sea, while the other studies his instrument, mirroring a painter examining his palette. This dynamic has led to speculation that Homer intended the work as a self-portrait, with the two figures representing two types of observation: one focused on the distance, and the other on the immediate surroundings.
The painting is considered a highlight of the exhibition, which also includes other works by Homer, such as watercolours, drawings, prints, and photographs. "Eight Bells" is particularly notable for its complex rendering, capturing the colour and motion of the waves, the sunlight breaking through dark clouds, and the sturdy character of the sailors.
The Bowdoin College Museum of Art often hosts exhibitions that bring together different disciplines, such as biology, history, and art history, to explore the changing landscape of Monhegan Island. The college also provides a unified search tool that allows researchers to access information from its libraries, special collections, the Museum of Art, and the Arctic Museum.
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Frequently asked questions
The painting 'Eight Bells' by Winslow Homer is located at the Bowdoin College Museum of Art.
The Bowdoin College Museum of Art is located in Brunswick, Maine, USA.
Winslow Homer painted 'Eight Bells' in 1886.
'Eight Bells' features two figures in the foreground, nearly identical in appearance and outfit. One is looking through a nautical instrument out to sea, while the other is looking down at his instrument.
The title of the painting refers to the nautical term "eight bells", which signalled the end of a four-hour watch duty on ships.
