Saturday, October 24, 2009

The Call to Dinner

Under the Gables discusses the painting The Dinner Horn by American artist Winslow Homer, saying:
Here we see in The Dinner Horn a young woman calling to her father, brothers, husband, or sons to the family dinner table. In rural America in the 19th century, dinner was the largest meal of the day and usually featured meat, but it was eaten in the middle of the day, between 1 and 2 p.m. That's why there is no hint of dusk in the painting but only full sun. The sound of the horn is most welcome to her men folk, since it means that it is time to lay aside the plough, the scythe, or the hoe and come to back to the house for a good full meal, before trekking out again to the fields to finish the day's work at sundown.
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3 comments:

Gabriel Girl said...

I can just feel the wind on my face and the sound of rustling leaves. This piece is so evocative. Thanks for sharing!

elena maria vidal said...

Thank you. So much of his art has that effect on me!

Julygirl said...

I have only seen his seascapes. This is lovely! Growing up in the 'South', we ate dinner at noon and had light fare such as sandwiches at night.