The Gale, c.1883/93 Winslow Homer (1836-1910)

We create our paintings with museum quality and covering the highest academic standards. Once we get your order, it will be entirely hand-painted with oil on canvas. All the materials we use are the highest level, being totally artist graded painting materials and linen canvas.

We will add 1.6" (4 cm) additional blank canvas all over the painting for stretching.

High quality and detailing in every inch are time consuming. The reproduction of Winslow Homer also needs time to dry in order to be completely ready for shipping, as this is crucial to not be damaged during transportation.
Based on the size, level of detail and complexity we need 8-9 weeks to complete the process.

In case the delivery date needs to be extended in time, or we are overloaded with requests, there will be an email sent to you sharing the new timelines of production and delivery.

TOPofART wants to remind you to keep patient, in order to get you the highest quality, being our mission to fulfill your expectations.

We not stretch and frame our oil paintings due to several reasons:
Painting reproduction is a high quality expensive product, which we cannot risk to damage by sending it being stretched.
Also, there are postal restrictions, regarding the size of the shipment.
Additionally, due to the dimensions of the stretched canvas, the shipment price may exceed the price of the product itself.

You can stretch and frame your painting in your local frame-shop.

Once the painting The Gale is ready and dry, it will be shipped to your delivery address. The canvas will be rolled-up in a secure postal tube.

We offer free shipping as well as paid express transportation services.

After adding your artwork to the shopping cart, you will be able to check the delivery price using the Estimate Shipping and Tax tool.

The paintings we create are only of museum quality. Our academy graduated artists will never allow a compromise in the quality and detail of the ordered painting. TOPofART do not work, and will never allow ourselves to work with low quality studios from the Far East. We are based in Europe, and quality is our highest priority.

Composition is the first thing that grips one’s attention in this painting. The imposing figure of a fisherwoman, a child strapped securely to her back, is placed at the shoreline where roiling waves meet the stark edge of land. Her body, turned slightly away from the viewer, subtly directs our gaze toward the tempestuous water. This arrangement underscores the timeless interplay between human vulnerability and the sea’s formidable might. The absence of a boat or protective shelter in the background is striking, amplifying her solitary stance against nature. Notably, these features were originally present when Homer first showed the work in 1883, only to be removed later when reworking the canvas.

Then comes the color palette. Dominated by an overcast gray sky and dark, rocky shoreline, it is punctuated by the foaming white-green of the crashing waves. This subdued range of hues transmits a bracing chill, an effect that places us right in the cold, unrelenting weather. The deliberate lack of warm or vivid color draws the eye to the most active aspects of the painting: the turbulent water and the determined figure holding firm in its wake. By restricting his colors, Homer compels us to focus on the elemental struggle unfolding in front of us.

In terms of brushwork, the handling of paint in the ocean and sky is particularly assertive. The energy-laden strokes enliven the foam and cloudbanks, underscoring the dramatic swell of the gale. By contrast, the woman’s garments are meticulously rendered, revealing subtle folds and clear delineation. This shift in approach enhances the solid presence of the figure—she is no small bystander, but rather an anchor in the scene, balancing the rushing dynamism of the ocean.

Historically, the work emerged from Homer’s evolution during his time in Tynemouth (1881-83), where he immersed himself in depicting fishermen and their families. Even before this phase, he had garnered respect for Civil War images and pastoral American vignettes. But in England, his focus shifted to the peril and austerity of coastal life. The initial version of this painting, titled "The Coming Away of the Gale," garnered a tepid reception in 1883, prompting Homer to trim the canvas and remove distracting elements. When unveiled again a decade later, its unflinching portrayal of a mother and child braving the storm underscored a deepened concern for humanity in confrontation with the sea. That quiet ferocity, captured in each brushstroke, remains the painting’s defining contribution to American art.