February Fill Dyke

Benjamin Williams Leader 1831 - 1923

Summary

A wintry evening landscape. In the centre, ruts in a track and the field to the left have become waterlogged, the trees and the glowing sky reflected in the surface water. Tall leafless trees, some with ivy-covered trunks, border the far end of this muddy field. A group of ducks sit behind the large puddle in the foreground in front of clumps of rough grass. Two small children and their dog walk along the track towards us. In the field to the right is another figure dressed in red. Behind the red figure is a sole evergreen tree, which stands next to a white cottage with a prominent chimney. To the far right timber leans against the trunk of a tree. A church with a tower can be seen behind the trees to the right, and from it houses stretch out to the centre of the horizon. Long horizontal clouds tinged with pink and golden light stretch across the sky.

Display Label

Gallery text panel Life and Landscape High-Victorian Social and Rural Subjects The Pre-Raphaelite interest in modern life was paralleled by a more general demand for contemporary subjects. The Victorians' fascination with their growing world of new social types and changing patterns of behaviour is particularly echoed in their love of crowd scenes. Some artists tried to highlight the darker side of society by focusing on the plight of the less well off. Yet representations of the working class and unemployed are usually idealised or softened by sentimental treatment. The wealthier classes provided more popular themes in art: high society is often both celebrated and analysed in paintings of domestic interiors and social engagements. Depictions of the city and industrial activity are rare. In an age of urban degradation and mass poverty collectors sought escapism more than social reflection, which gave rise to an unparalleled market for landscapes. Typically extreme in evoking serenity or bleakness, their appeal often revolves around open-ended narratives and the presence or suggestion of human activity.