I’ve been looking for examples of how to respond to turbulent times through narrative images. In considering Winslow Homer’s painting Veteran in a New Field and the photograph of a man documented during the Poor People’s March in 1968 I’ve found parallels within these moments nearly 100 years apart. In each a solitary central figure looks outward, each embodying a kind of grace and calm amongst the intensity of their historic moments. Each of these figures is claiming their space, both quietly heroic in their fields.

The Veteran in a New Field, by Winslow Homer, 1865
Painted soon after General Robert E. Lee’s surrender on April 9, 1865, and President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination five days later, Homer’s painting of a single figure harvesting in a field can be seen to reference death and rebirth during a time of sacrifice and attempted recovery in 19th century America.