The American artist Winslow Homer concluded the watercolor painting entitled Rowing Home in 1890. He had dedicated himself to this media for about twenty years, as he was initially a commercial illustrator. Homer’s love for nature drove him to paint outdoors, even before meeting the Impressionists who made this modern technique famous. He eventually went to Europe and had direct contact with artists from the movement. His watercolor paintings ranged from realistic representations to more expressive and experimental works.

The watercolor Rowing Home has a definite aesthetic influence from the Japanese art. Artists like Hokusai worked with a printing technique called Ukiyo-e which combined woodcut prints with watercolor, giving a unique effect. This method allows the artist to work with watery gradients of different pigments, as well as create crisp black contours on the figures. Their art mainly portrays scenes of their daily life among beautiful nature – the relationship between humankind and their surroundings. The new generation of European artists – primarily the Impressionists – found these exotic works to be deeply inspiring, for they went against the imposed standards of the Classic Academies. The Japanese artists worked with vibrant colors and compositions that defined the traditional rules.

Homer began working with watercolors and quickly mastered the technique. He was able to range his style from a more realistic approach to an experimental and modern way of working. The artist was painting on location to observe the natural sunlight before meeting the French Impressionists and learning they did the same – but calling it painting en plein air. Homer’s choice in media was smart, for quick paintings done outdoors was a lot easier done using watercolor and paper.

The painting Rowing Home shows a far away rowboat with three people with a simple composition. Homer’s use of color palette is very reminiscent of the Japanese art, for even though he used watered down paint, the colors are very vibrant. Another characteristic is the thick, dark lines on the waves, the rowboat and figures, as well as the horizon line. The water’s color varies from yellow to ochre, while the sky complements these tonalities with purple and violet. The artist also inserts some shades of brown and ochre on the top of the sky, resembling clouds. A small, perfectly round and orange sun pops up from the dark violet sky, creating an almost surreal atmosphere.