Defiance: Inviting a Shot Before Petersburg
1864 Detroit Institute of Arts
About this artwork
This oil on canvas painting depicts a Union soldier standing atop a parapet, taunting Confederate sharpshooters during the American Civil War. It was painted by Winslow Homer while he was embedded with the Army of the Potomac.
Did you know?
Winslow Homer, who worked as a journalist and illustrator during the Civil War, created this work based on his firsthand experiences observing the siege of Petersburg. The painting captures the surreal mixture of boredom, camaraderie, and sudden, lethal danger that characterized the lives of soldiers in the trenches, exemplified by the lone soldier fearlessly exposing himself to enemy fire while his comrades play music nearby.
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Defiance: Inviting a Shot Before Petersburg
Winslow Homer, 1864
