Breezing Up (A Fair Wind)
Winslow Homer, 1873–76
Boys in a boat, a fair wind, America after the war trying to look young. Joy without the speech. The sea is kind today. That was rare, and he knew it.
About this work
Breezing Up (A Fair Wind) shows a catboat named Gloucester cutting through the harbour of Gloucester, Massachusetts, with a man, three boys and their catch aboard. A Fair Wind was Homer's own title; by 1879 the picture had become known as Breezing Up, a name he did not seem to object to. Winslow Homer began the canvas in New York in 1873 after a stay in Gloucester, where he first worked in watercolour, and he reworked it over three years. Infrared reflectography shows the changes: a fourth boy near the mast and a second schooner were painted out, and the anchor that replaced the boy in the bow was understood as a symbol of hope. The boy at the tiller looks to the horizon, often read as optimism about his future and that of the young United States. The balance of a busy left half against an open right half shows the influence of Japanese art. Completed in the centennial year of 1876, it was exhibited at the National Academy of Design and then at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. It is in the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
Sources: Wikipedia · National Gallery of Art
Print facts
- Native resolution
- 10,326 × 6,499 px
- Sharp at 150 ppi up to
- 68 × 43 in
- Sizes
- Small (20 × 13 in) · $100 · 500 ppi
Medium (24 × 15 in) · $150 · 430 ppi
Large (36 × 23 in) · $300 · 283 ppi - Price includes
- Frame and US shipping · 14–21 days · 30-day returns
FAQ
Where can I buy a framed print of Breezing Up (A Fair Wind)?
Here. Breezing Up (A Fair Wind) is available as a framed print in three sizes: Small (20 × 13 in) for $100, Medium (24 × 15 in) for $150 and Large (36 × 23 in) for $300. Prices include the frame and US shipping; delivery takes 14–21 days, with 30-day returns.
What size works best for Breezing Up (A Fair Wind)?
The file is 10,326 × 6,499 px, so every size is sharp: even Large (36 × 23 in) prints at 283 ppi. Choose Large (36 × 23 in) for a large wall; Small (20 × 13 in) suits a narrower space.
Is it legal to print Breezing Up (A Fair Wind)?
Yes. Breezing Up (A Fair Wind) is in the public domain: its copyright, if it ever had one, expired long ago. In the United States a faithful photograph of a public-domain painting does not create a new copyright (Bridgeman v. Corel, 1999), so the image can be printed and sold freely.
