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Analysis Of Winslow Homer's A Visit From The Old Mistress

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Analysis Of Winslow Homer's A Visit From The Old Mistress
Winslow Homer, an American painter, created the painting A Visit from the Old Mistress in 1876 as an allegory to display the unspoken tension between the two sides of people, the former slaves and owners, after the war. The people now, struggling to understand what is going on, how to act now after years of ingrained behavior, and what their future may be with this new form of society, have to relearn how to cooperate and conduct themselves. Homer’s painting highlights these uncomfortable and unfamiliar new interactions, how society has changed, and how the shift affects the people.
The painting depicts a former slave owner and three now free black women she used to own. The women no longer have to greet their past mistress with any respect,
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