Artwork
Mowing time
Mowing time is an unspecified painting by Alfred Parsons. It dates from 1893 and is held in the collection of the Art Gallery of New South Wales.
About this work
Overview
Created circa 1893, *Mowing Time* is an oil painting by English artist Alfred Parsons, whose career spanned the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The work presents a quiet garden scene populated by a solitary woman amid foliage and fruit, rendered with a calm, measured palette that invites the viewer into a moment of rural stillness.
Subject & Meaning
At the centre of the composition stands a woman dressed in a white blouse, a purple vest and a red headscarf. She turns her head over her shoulder while extending her right arm, suggesting a pause in an everyday task, perhaps reaching for fruit or a tool. The surrounding trees and visible green fruit underscore themes of harvest and the cyclical nature of agricultural labor.
Technique & Style
Parsons employs a restrained chiaroscuro, allowing light to model the figure and foliage with subtle contrasts that generate depth. The careful delineation of leaves and fruit reflects his background in botanical illustration, while the overall softness of the color scheme conveys a tranquil atmosphere. Brushwork remains precise yet unobtrusive, supporting the scene’s naturalistic tone.
History & Provenance
A member of both the Royal Academy and the Royal Watercolour Society, Parsons exhibited regularly from 1868 until 1919. *Mowing Time* entered his oeuvre during a prolific period of landscape production, though specific ownership records after its creation are sparse. The painting has been referenced in catalogues of late Victorian garden art.
Context
The late nineteenth century saw a renewed interest in rural life and domestic gardening among the British middle class. Parsons, known for detailed botanical plates, translated that fascination into a larger format, merging scientific observation with genre painting. The work reflects contemporary attitudes toward nature as both a source of sustenance and a cultivated, genteel pastime.
Artist & collection
Artist
Alfred William Parsons RA PRWS (2 December 1847 – 16 January 1920) was an English artist: illustrator, landscape painter and garden designer, working in oils and watercolour.
