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What criticism of human behavior appears in Winslow Homer’s Huntsman and Dogs?
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Winslow Homer
Breezing Up (A Fair Wind), oil on canvas by Winslow Homer, 1873–76; in the National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. 61.5 × 97 cm.
In his 1891 painting Huntsman and Dogs, Winslow Homer offers a critical perspective on human behavior by highlighting the despoilment of nature. Set within a cheerless, autumnal landscape that has been leveled by timbering and blackened by fire, the work features a sullen-faced young hunter. Through this imagery, Homer epitomizes the destructive impact of humans on the environment, specifically critiquing the act of killing animals for sport rather than for sustenance.1