The Gulf Stream

Winslow Homer painted a Black sailor adrift on a dismasted boat surrounded by sharks in the Gulf Stream. A waterspout threatens on the horizon while a ship sails away, apparently oblivious. The man lies exhausted but watchful, his fate uncertain.

The painting provoked controversy and endless interpretation. Some saw commentary on the African American experience after slavery's end, others pure man-versus-nature drama. Homer refused to explain, saying only "you may let your imagination loose" about whether the ship rescues him. The deep blue water and circling sharks create almost unbearable tension.

The painting hangs at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.