Masterpiece: The Intimacy of a Sharpshooter On Picket Duty

Winslow Homer’s “The Sharpshooter,” really struck a cord with our author, as he equates sharpshooters are vile and cowardly. The author, whose name is either Allen or Allem according to the proofreader, continues by saying Homer was a precursor to photojournalists, as the technology at the time didn’t allow for photographs. Allen concludes the piece by comparing this picture to another done 50 years later, called “Right and Left.” He equates the death in the Civil War with a duck shot by a hunter.

Key Takeaways:

• -In Winslow Homer’s ‘The Army of the Potomac—A Sharp-Shooter on Picket Duty,’ the artist, as newsman, makes us silent witnesses
• Known by its abbreviated title, “The Sharpshooter” is a work of masterly economy, conveying a moment of ruthlessness and randomness.
• Homer’s Civil War work treats different subjects: the indiscriminate violence of war, the confusion of battle, and the boredom of camp life.

“Known by its abbreviated title, “The Sharpshooter” is a work of masterly economy, conveying a moment of ruthlessness and randomness.”

http://civilwarlibrarian.blogspot.com/2016/08/new-masterpiece-intimacy-of.html