Study for 'The Herring Net'

Winslow Homer's preparatory drawing captures a moment of maritime labor: two fishermen haul a net heavy with herring into their small boat while larger sailing vessels work nearby. Rendered in charcoal and chalk on paper, the sketch demonstrates Homer's compositional planning for his finished oil painting. The drawing emphasizes the physical strain of the work through the men's postures and the weight suggested by the sagging net. Homer, who documented American life from the Civil War through the turn of the century, frequently turned to coastal subjects and working people as primary subjects, establishing himself as a painter of national character and experience.