An approachable study of American painter Winslow Homer, focusing on his conflict-related works
Conflict, a frequent theme in the prolific career of American painter Winslow Homer (1836–1910), is examined in a novel way. Homer's art, from iconic representations of the Civil War and Reconstruction to stunning tropical pieces and colossal marines, is infused with a continual preoccupation with struggle, which highlights his lifelong engagement with the sensitive issues of race, nature, and the environment. 
This book sheds light on Homer's interest with the complicated social and political challenges of his time, including as slavery, war, and imperialism, as well as his broader worries about the precariousness of human life and the power of nature. His earliest Civil War and Reconstruction works, which examine the impact of the struggle on the landscape, troops, and those who were once enslaved, contain these potent themes.
They continue in his later paintings that deal with the frequently tense interaction between people and nature and depict rural life, heroic rescues, and hunting. As he neared the end of his life, human characters became insignificant bystanders and the water assumed a crucial position.
In conjunction with a retrospective at the National Gallery that has been planned in partnership with the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, this lavishly illustrated book will be released.