Spring Farm Work - Grafting 1870

Curator: Winslow Homer designed this illustration, "Spring Farm Work - Grafting." It gives the impression of a scene captured directly from rural life. Editor: It's stark, yet there's a hopeful quality to it, isn't there? The man grafting the tree, the new life he’s helping to cultivate, it’s all very evocative, especially given the visible newsprint. Curator: Precisely. The artist focuses our attention on form. Consider how the branches of the tree intersect with the lines of the buildings in the background, the use of cross-hatching to denote shadow and texture, and the composition itself. Editor: And the labor—you can almost feel the grain of the wood, the heft of the knife in his hand. It speaks volumes about the skills of a craftsman and the essential connection between humans and the natural world. Curator: An interesting interplay between man and nature captured within the formal structure. Editor: Yes, the artist gives us so much more to think about.