Listening to the Voice from the Cliffs 1883

This engraving, “Listening to the Voice from the Cliffs,” was made by Winslow Homer sometime in the late 19th century. It depicts three women by the sea and the composition subtly comments on the social structures of its time. Homer was working during a period of great change in American art. Institutions like the National Academy of Design were trying to create a distinctly “American” style. Homer was an illustrator and painter who depicted contemporary life, particularly the lives of women and children in rural settings. The image evokes the tradition of maritime painting, but Homer also subtly defied social norms. The women are central to the image, occupying the foreground and looking directly out at the viewer. They are not idealized figures, but rather appear as strong and capable members of the coastal community. To understand Homer's work better, we can look at the economic and social conditions of the time, and the role of institutions in shaping artistic taste.