The Coolest Spot in New England - Summit of Mount Washington 1870

Winslow Homer created this wood engraving, "The Coolest Spot in New England," for Harper's Bazar. A group of figures are shown at the summit of Mount Washington. Notice how the figures are arranged, poised at the mountain's peak, gazing out as if at some form of revelation. This pose echoes the compositional arrangements seen in religious scenes, from the ‘Ecstasy of Saint Teresa’ by Bernini, to Caspar David Friedrich’s ‘Wanderer above the Sea of Fog’. These figures perched at the top of the mountain take on symbolic dimensions, standing at the boundary between the earthly and the transcendent. The figures with their backs to us remind us of the persistent human desire to connect with nature on a spiritual level. The mountain becomes a mirror reflecting inner emotions. In this visual language, we find a deep-seated echo of human striving and longing.