On the Maine coast, a “nor’easter” is a storm of exceptional violence and duration. When Homer first showed this canvas in 1895, it included two men in foul-weather gear crouching on the rocks below a smaller column of spray. Even though the painting was well received and purchased by a leading collector of American art—George Hearn, who later donated it to the Metropolitan Museum—Homer reworked it to powerful effect, taking the two men out.

This landscape verges on abstraction, as the stylized treatment of the waves and foam patterns to the center balance the explosion of water to the left.

Title: Northeaster
Artist: Winslow Homer (American, Boston, Massachusetts 1836–1910 Prouts Neck, Maine)
Date: 1895; reworked by 1901
Culture: American
Medium: Oil on canvas
Original Dimensions: 34 1/2 x 50 in. (87.6 x 127 cm)

Museum-quality posters made on thick and durable matte paper. Add a wonderful accent to your room and office with these posters that are sure to brighten any environment.

• Paper thickness: 10.3 mil
• Paper weight: 5.57 oz/y² (189 g/m²)
• Giclée printing quality
• Opacity: 94%

From the Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection