Critics' picks - visual arts

Mythic moments

With "Winslow Homer: American Scenes," the Museum of Fine Arts has mounted a single-room exhibit of its impressive Homer holdings, from beloved masterpieces of painting to more than 40 prints and drawings. Sentimental, anecdotal, and occasionally trite: On all three counts, Homer was guilty. And yet he was the greatest American artist of the 19th century. Again and again, one marvels at his ability to distill the complications of context into simple and robust designs, almost mythic moments of decisiveness. Through Dec. 7. 617-267-9300, mfa.org

- Sebastian Smee

The naked eye

The indomitable Boston artist Harriet Casdin-Silver, one of the world's leading holographers, died in March at 83. Her sly, gutsy holographic and photographic self-portraits explore the aging female nude, sexuality, and mortality. At Gallery NAGA, 67 Newbury St., through Friday. 617-267-9060, gallerynaga.com

- Cate McQuaid