Orange trees and gate

Ripe oranges dot a heavy green tree, spilling their color across this cheerful watercolor by Winslow Homer. Painted in 1885, "Orange Trees and Gate" almost certainly grew out of one of his trips south to the Bahamas or Cuba, places whose bright skies and easy warmth pulled him far away from the chilly New England shores he usually painted. A worn white picket gate leans beside a stone wall, and the sunlight seems to pour over everything, from the fruit to the pale ground below.

Homer knew watercolor better than almost anyone of his day, and this little garden scene shows his easy confidence. The brushwork stays quick and loose, with dabs of green and cool blue standing in for leaves and shade instead of every careful detail. Against those cool tones, the oranges practically hum with color. Nothing dramatic is going on, just a quiet corner of a garden, yet that plainness is what makes it work. Homer had a knack for turning ordinary spots into something worth remembering, catching the mood of a lazy warm afternoon with only a handful of honest strokes.