Generally regarded as one of America's greatest artists on the basis of his paintings and watercolors, Winslow Homer was also an accomplished printmaker, producing exceptional wood engravings, etchings and lithographs that enlivened newspapers and graced middle-class homes during the late 1800s.

Beginning March 24 and continuing through May 20, the Brandywine River Museum presents a special exhibition that chronicles Homerís printmaking career. Winslow Homer and His Contemporaries: American Prints from the Metropolitan Museum of Art features Homer's work and selections from his contemporaries, including Mary Cassatt, William M. Chase, James McNeill Whistler, J. Alden Wier, Thomas Moran and Charles A. Platt.

Like many of his fellow 19th-century American artists, Winslow Homer (1836-1910) began acquiring the rudiments of his professional training as an apprentice to a printmaker. He subsequently sharpened his skills as a "Special Artist" responsible for recording the daily events of the Civil War for Harper's Weekly.

Favoring compositions with a distinct linearity, Homer preferred to execute sketches in the field, which he could later embellish in his New York City studio. Two engravings in the exhibition, The War for the Union "A Cavalry Charge and The Army of the Potomac" A Sharp-Shooter in Picket Duty, resulted from his assignment to the front line at the Siege of Yorktown.

Homer's interest in etching coincided with the resurgence of the medium during the American Etching Revival from the late 1870s through the late 1880s. Originating with the French and British etching revivals of the mid-19th century, the American movement rapidly developed following the formation of the New York Etching Club in 1877. Influenced by two American expatriates, James McNeill Whistler and Mary Cassatt during the 1880s, American etchers sought to elevate printmaking from the level of illustration to that of the finest prints in the Old Masters tradition of Rembrandt.

Etchings occupied the majority of Homerís time between 1887 and 1889. With increasing technical mastery, he created some of the most extraordinary etchings of the period in two such works that are included in the exhibition, Saved and Eight Bells.

Seen in the context of American prints of his time, Homer's works are distinctive for their insightful characterizations of human behavior, their bold compositions, and their subtle balance of lines and tones. In order to fully appreciate his talent in both its historic and artistic context and to appreciate how artists of the day influenced each other, the 72 prints in the exhibition feature graphic works by his contemporaries.

Located on US Route 1 in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, the Brandywine River Museum, is open daily, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults; $2.50 for senior citizens, students and children ages 6-12; free for children under six and Brandywine Conservancy members. For more information, call (610) 388-2700.

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