![Winslow Homer - Winter Coast [1890]](http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5559/14775211123_84b8054d4b_o.jpg)
In 1891, one critic described Winter Coast as "A most bleak, cold, 'shivery' place." Winslow Homer knew this shivery place well, as this cliff was visible from his studio in Prout's Neck, Maine.
Many of Homer's earlier works had focused on men and women who triumph over adverse nature. Over time, however, the painter increasingly emphasised the sublime beauty and power of the environment. Instead of heroic narratives, his later Maine seascapes focused on man's often grim struggle to survive. While the hunter in this image has successfully snared a wild goose, he remains dwarfed by his surroundings, standing alone against the unrelenting Atlantic Ocean.
[Philadelphia Museum of Art - Oil on canvas, 91.8 x 80.5 cm]