Sprout Picking, Monmouthshire

Evelyn Mary Dunbar 18/12/1906 - 1960

Summary

A view along rows of sprouts in large field, with some women farmers bent over picking them. All the women are wearing green and pointed hats. There are greenhouses visible in the background to the left, and the field is cordoned off by a hedge running along the middle of the painting. There is a farmhouse to right, and hills in distance behind, both of which are painted in soft browns to give the illusion of their distance. The canvas peering through on the sketchily painted sky contrasts with the more detailed figures in the foreground.

Display Label

Sprout Picking, Monmouthshire 1941-44 Evelyn Mary Dunbar 1906-60 Oil on canvas Mark Burton, a member of Steady State, a Manchester collective who advocate alternatives to economic growth, spoke about this painting at a Gallery event entitled What have we learned about work during COVID, and what needs to change?: The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of workers in basic services and provisioning. Sprout Picking, in war time, with members of the Women’s Land Army hard at work, speaks of the fundamental necessity of food and provisioning. The pandemic and Brexit indicate the vulnerability of supply chains and our dependency on imports. Our isolation is only made possible by hidden labour, often the lot of those marginalised and displaced, not just in food production but in all areas where key workers work. In most of these sectors people are most vulnerable to infection. Presented by H.M. Government War Artists Advisory Committee in 1947 1947.428