The Union Cavalry and Artillery Starting in Pursuit of the Rebels up the Yorktown Turnpike (from "Harper's Weekly," Vol. VI) 1862

Editor: This is Winslow Homer’s "The Union Cavalry and Artillery Starting in Pursuit of the Rebels up the Yorktown Turnpike," a pencil and print drawing from 1862. The flurry of movement really grabs me – it's like catching a chaotic breath before... well, something serious. What strikes you most about this piece? Curator: That’s a great reading! You know, for me, it's the 'before' you mentioned that resonates. It’s interesting that Homer offers us the moments _before_ a big historical event. What was going through those young men's minds before battle? We almost get to hear the thunder of hooves. Editor: It's true, you feel like you're in the moment with them. It’s more intimate than a lot of war paintings. It feels almost… like a photo taken spontaneously. Curator: Exactly! There’s that immediacy. That “right here, right now” quality. Homer often played with ways to flatten the pictorial space in ways we later associate with photography. So what are the stories you are inventing when you see this scene? Who are these guys? What’s urging them forward? Editor: That's a good question. I guess I see a mix of apprehension and determination in their faces, at least in the few I can make out. It is fascinating to consider their backstories, almost like the beginning of a historical novel. I find myself wanting to fill in all the details. Curator: Right, right – they each have a whole novel within them, don't they? I never considered this piece in this way. You know, Homer sold a story along with an image. What would you like to know? Editor: Thanks! It really gives a totally different angle. I hadn't really thought about art being the visual companion to novels. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure, truly!