Yatching 1868

Editor: Winslow Homer's "Yatching," from 1868, is an engraving. It looks like a group of people are on a boat, perhaps enjoying a leisurely ride, but the swirling water makes it look a little unsettling. How do you see the composition and form of the artwork affecting the mood? Curator: The power of "Yatching" resides in its formal tensions. Note how Homer uses line. The diagonal lines of the rigging, for example, contrast sharply with the more horizontal lines of the deck, creating a visual push and pull, a feeling of instability despite the presumably leisurely subject. The varying densities of line, from the light hatching in the sky to the denser, darker areas representing the figures, establish a contrast between background and foreground. Editor: I hadn't considered the line density like that! Does the contrast make one part more important than another? Curator: "Importance" isn't quite the word I'd use. The figures in the foreground certainly come forward visually; they are highlighted in relation to the relative lightness of the sky and water behind them. But it's how those two work together-- the sharpness of the foreground against the subtle tonalities of the sea-- that makes this more than just a picture. Editor: So it’s not about one thing standing out more but about how the elements are interacting. That tension creates the visual interest. Are there other ways those tensions arise? Curator: Indeed. Observe the relationship between positive and negative space; how the clusters of figures are balanced by the vast expanse of sea and sky, giving the artwork its structure. Homer skillfully arranges forms and textures that shape not just our gaze, but how the artwork might prompt an experience for a reader looking at the image. Editor: So I need to be aware of not just what is there but what isn't and what the effects of that could be. Thanks for pointing that out! Curator: Of course. By noticing visual organization and the effects they cause, we can better respond to the artistic qualities of this complex print.