Hark! The Lark 1882

Winslow Homer created this painting showing women in a field, but the year is unknown. Baskets of produce and bundles of hay are carried, suggesting a bountiful harvest. Consider how the laden baskets echo the Cornucopia, a symbol from ancient Greece associated with abundance and nourishment. In antiquity, the Cornucopia, often depicted as a goat’s horn overflowing with fruits and grains, represented prosperity and divine grace. Its reappearance here, in the hands of these women, invites us to reflect on the cyclical nature of life, death, and rebirth. This image of women bringing forth the harvest is a powerful one, engaging viewers at a deep level, subconsciously evoking our dependence on the earth and the rhythms of nature. The symbol, which is very archaic, has continually resurfaced, evolving and taking on new meanings in various historical contexts.