By John Boudreau, Communications Intern
Winslow Homer (American, 1836-1910), The Bridle Path, White Mountains 1868. Oil on canvas, 24 1/8 x 38 in. (61.3 x 96.5 cm). The Clark, 1955.2
One of the great things about visiting Winslow Homer: Making Art, Making History is that everyone who looks at Homer’s paintings will react to them in a different way. They evoke different emotions, stories, and sentiments from every viewer. With Your Favorite Homer, we’ll ask some of the Clark’s employees to share their reactions to their favorite work of art in the exhibit.
Caedy Shultz-Loomis, The Bridle Path, White Mountains (1868)
It was perhaps inevitable that Caedy, who has been riding horses since she was a child, would select this Homer as her favorite. “I was just naturally drawn to this painting,” she said. “I like that he’s depicted the girl and her horse alone, making that the focal point of the painting.” In Caedy’s interpretation, Homer’s compositional choice may have some symbolic weight as well. “Riding can be a very solitary kind of activity, and it can be very much about just you and the horse and the experience that you’re sharing at that moment. She looks very relaxed and free, and that’s one of the things I love about riding. You feel like you’re removed from everything else around you.”
Caedy also appreciated the artist’s attention to detail—in this case, a sprig of vegetation caught in the horse’s bridle. “That’s cool,” she said. “I can think of all the times I’ve been riding in the woods and you duck down under a tree, but the horse just kind of goes along and gets something stuck in his bridle. That shows me that maybe Homer was a rider himself—he gets it.”
Caedy Shultz-Loomis is the Membership and Events Coordinator at the Clark. Originally from Bennington, Vermont, she attended school at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. Upon graduating, she knew she was interested in a career in the arts, and in 2004, joined the staff of the Clark.
