This painting shows a person in a small boat on a body of water. The person is all the way on one end of the boat, leaning towards the right and reaching out over the side of the boat, holding a rope that appears to be tied to the white antlers of a large brown deer that is almost completely submerged in the water. A black-and-white dog swims in the water behind the deer. The person has pale skin and short brown hair, and they are wearing a black hat and a gray coat. The boat is gray-brown, and the water below is painted with lines of blue, white, green, and teal. The background is a mix of dark gray and olive green.

Sketch for "Hound and Hunter"

Winslow Homer

This painting shows a person in a small boat on a body of water. The person is all the way on one end of the boat, leaning towards the right and reaching out over the side of the boat, holding a rope that appears to be tied to the white antlers of a large brown deer that is almost completely submerged in the water. A black-and-white dog swims in the water behind the deer. The person has pale skin and short brown hair, and they are wearing a black hat and a gray coat. The boat is gray-brown, and the water below is painted with lines of blue, white, green, and teal. The background is a mix of dark gray and olive green.

Colors in this work

Details

Artist
Winslow Homer
Date
1891/1892
Dimensions
overall: 35.4 x 50.7 cm (13 15/16 x 19 15/16 in.)
Department
CG-W
Holding institution
National Gallery of Art
Image provider
national-gallery-of-art
License
CC0-1.0
Credit
Gift of Ruth K. Henschel in memory of her husband, Charles R. Henschel

Art Genome Taxonomy

11 tags

Subject Matter

  • Animals Both · 99%

    A person, a deer, and a swimming dog are clearly represented; the supplied museum description identifies the animals as a deer and dog.

  • Figures in Nature Visual · 94%

    The human figure and animals are situated together in an open outdoor setting dominated by water and a dark distant background.

  • Waterscapes Visual · 99%

    A broad body of water occupies most of the lower half of the sheet and is rendered with extensive horizontal strokes and reflected light.

  • Nautical Visual · 96%

    The composition includes a narrow boat, a rope, and an active interaction taking place on the water.

  • Movement Visual · 96%

    The leaning figure, taut rope, swimming dog, and splashing or submerged deer create a strong sense of physical action.

  • Implied Narrative Both · 90%

    The title identifies a hound and hunter, while the image presents an unresolved action involving a person, boat, rope, deer, and dog.

Visual Qualities

  • Dark Colors Visual · 97%

    Deep gray, charcoal, olive, brown, and blue-green passages dominate the background, boat, figure, and water, with limited pale highlights.

Medium and Techniques

  • Drawing Both · 99%

    The museum classifies the work as a drawing, and the image presents a drawn and painted study on a single sheet.

  • Watercolor Both · 99%

    The catalog identifies the medium as watercolor on wove paper, and the image visibly contains transparent washes, layered pigment, and exposed paper.

  • Work on Paper Both · 99%

    The catalog specifies wove paper, while the image clearly shows a paper sheet with exposed light areas within the composition.

Time Periods

  • 19th Century Art Metadata · 99%

    The work is dated 1891/1892, placing it in the nineteenth century.

Source & rights

Winslow Homer. Sketch for "Hound and Hunter". Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington.

High-resolution sources