Northeaster

Homer lived his later years on the rocky coast of Maine, where he painted the sea in all its moods. Here a storm wave smashes into dark rocks and explodes into white spray, while behind it the water stretches gray-green and heavy to a low sky. The paint is thick and fast where the wave breaks, and smoother in the sea beyond. When he first exhibited the picture, there were figures on the rocks. Later he painted them out, so that nothing remains but the rock, the water and the moment of impact. It is very loud for a silent object. Stand here long enough and you start to feel the cold.

Look closely

1. Find the exact point where the wave strikes the rock.
2. Look at the color of the water behind the wave. How many greens and grays are there?
3. Imagine the figures Homer painted out. Is the painting stronger without them?

While you sit

A storm wave that never finishes breaking. You are safe on the bench, and the sea can roar as much as it likes.

Your seat in the galleries: a rough block of coastal granite with a slate top, wet-looking and cold.