The Life Line

Surrounded by gray walls of water, the hero—his face obscured by a wind-whipped scarf—embraces the unconscious damsel. Terror, wonder, bravery, and hope are all here, but what makes Winslow Homer’s The Life Line a true masterwork is the mesmerizing sensuousness of those two intertwined figures, suspended above the pitiless sea. The Life Line was an immediate sensation when it was first displayed in New York, in 1884, partly because the painting illustrated the recently retrofitted breeches buoy—a kind of pants-equipped zip line, invented a generation earlier, with which a lifesaver could transport a shipwreck survivor to shore. The dramatic rescue from a foundering ship shown here was made possible by a recent innovation in lifesaving technology, the breeches buoy. Secured firmly to ship and shore, the device permitted the transfer of stranded passengers to safety by means of a pulley that was hauled back and forth by crews at either end. Cropped down to its essentials, Homer's composition thrusts us into the midst of the action with massive waves rolling past, drenching the semiconscious woman and her anonymous savior. Inevitably we wonder: Will the cable hold? -- For over three years, we are delivering art to more than 250.000 every day. We need $15.000 to create new version of DailyArt with new features and extra content. On this website you will find more details and help us: http://support.getdailyart.com. Thank you!