Comparing Winslow Homer's Sloop, Nassau and Auerbach's Head of Michael Podro

¶ … Paintings

Sloop, Nassau" by Winslow Homer is a haunting painting of a small ship towing a boat on cloudy, stormy seas. The painting is peaceful, and yet the clouds are menacing somehow. While it would not seem emotional, it is, just because of the vibrancy of the colors and the thick brushstrokes of the work. It seems as if the two non-descript figures on board are sailing into harm's way, somehow. While Homer's painting is realistic if a bit stylized, Auerbach's work, "Head of Michael Podro," is entirely the opposite. The figure is fairly recognizable as human, but that is about all. Auerbach's angular lines and stark colors make the head of the person seem like an alien somehow, and Auerbach definitely does not work in realism. Like the "Sloop," Auerbach's work is disquieting somehow, but more because his portraits are so unreal and so ghostly, somehow.

A much prefer the Homer piece, even though it also makes me uneasy. It is more peaceful somehow than Auerbach's work, which seems to capture the person but also capture death, somehow. Both paintings are of a more modern school, rather than impressionistic or realistic, although Auerbach does incorporate some impressionist techniques into his works, especially in how he lays on thick, bold strokes of paint. Both artists use these bold strokes and lines as part of their message. I simply prefer the ocean scene to the more modern scene.