Lessons from school

Winslow Homer was one of the greatest American artists of the 19th century. He created “Snap the Whip” (1872) in New York at the age of 36. This painting, which depicts children playing in the countryside, is an entirely different theme from war paintings, which he was immersed in the 1960s. Why the sudden change of theme?

Homer had a happy childhood in the countryside. After graduating from high school, he worked as an illustrator for a magazine and became a self-taught painter. He served on the front line during the Civil War and sketched war illustrations. Oil paintings based on these sketches, which were exhibited at the National Academy, were highly received. However, war paintings wore Homer out. After the war, he resorted to themes reminiscent of his childhood and created paintings of children playing. A group of children are running excitedly across a field. The red building in the background is a school with green hills and flowers blooming in the field. The children are playing a game called “Snap the Whip.” Holding hands like chains, they rely on each other as they run. Unfortunately, the two children on the left have broken away from the chain and fallen. They still look excited.

Back then, many farmers left the countryside to relocate to cities, so Homer’s paintings became popular as they reminisced about country life. The painting, as the painter’s favorite, was repeatedly drawn by the artist in different versions.

The English word school comes from the Greek word ‘schol,’ which means leisure. School is the place where children go to play and learn with their peers. The children in the painting rely on each other, cooperate, fall, and get up again, learning in the process. Perhaps the artist wishes to convey that learning from playing is more useful in life than lessons in the classroom.