Nature and Art and Poetry

...and then I have nature and art and poetry,  and if that is not enough, what is enough? (Vincent Van Gogh)

I never had any artisitic talent which may or may not explain my interest in art. As a teen, I began checking out books about art at the library and familiarizing myself with artists and their paintings.
I have gradually learned about artists whose works I didn't care for as well as the ones I admired.

Winslow Homer (1836-1910) was one I appreciated and learned about.

When I heard his name, I thought about paintings like these,  The Fog Warning and

Breezing Up A Fair Wind which was used on a 4c stamp in 1962. In other words, pictures featuring seascapes and sailors and dark colors.

This morning, thanks to my daily jigsaw puzzling, I learned he painted much more than dark paintings of men and the sea.

I loved the pinks, grays and soft blues and greens of his Girl With Laurel. So once the puzzle was completed I went in search of more of his artwork and realized how varied his subject matter and mediums were. These are just a 'few' of the ones that caught my eye.

The West Wind

Snap the Whip - This one was familiar to me, but I did not remember it as a Winslow painting.

Crossing the Pasture

Of course what do you see when crossing the pasture but Cow In Pasture?

During the Civil War he was sent by Harper's Weekly to sketch battle scenes and camp life. The Sharpshooter On Picket Duty is a painting of that time.

Beach scenes were also the subject of many of his works. This one, On the Beach, Marshfield. One of my classmates/friend had a home there. I wonder if Linda had this same view?

I particularly like this one, Old Friends - tree lover that I am.

Girl On A Swing

Houses On A Hill makes me think of a Wyeth painting; no wonder, N.C. Wyeth was a student of Homer's.

Morning Glories

The Butterfly Girl

Even one titled The Turkey Buzzard - something under discussion earlier this week.

I am drawn to the darker paintings. Look what he does with light in this one: Twilight At Leeds, NY.

So many paintings; so little time.

Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time. (Thomas Merton)