Right and Left 1909

Winslow Homer made this painting of two ducks, titled 'Right and Left', in oil on canvas. The whole scene comes at us in strokes of muted greys and whites, except for the wave that leaps up in the middle of the canvas, which is such a stark white it almost blinds you. I feel like Homer wanted us to feel the split-second drama of a hunter’s aim, the moment the gun is fired, and the awful beauty of life meeting death. I wonder if Homer was thinking about the relationship between chance and fate here? Painting is a bit like hunting in a way—you’re chasing after something elusive, trying to capture it, pin it down with color and form. He seemed to understand that painting is a way of thinking through feeling, not just illustrating it. It’s not just about what you see, but how you see it. Painters are always looking at each other, learning from the past while trying to make something new. Homer's painting reminds me of Courbet, who also spent a lot of time painting the sea and the hunt. I see a conversation unfolding across time.