The Veteran in a New Field 1865

Winslow Homer painted "The Veteran in a New Field" with oil on canvas in the United States, sometime after the Civil War. It depicts a former Union soldier returning to agricultural labor. The image creates meaning through several visual and cultural references. The veteran's discarded Union coat and canteen on the ground suggest his transition from soldier to civilian. The golden wheatfield is reminiscent of death in battle, while also suggesting the future promise of the American heartland and the bounty of nature. It speaks to the social and economic conditions of the Reconstruction era when many soldiers returned to find their farms in disarray. Homer's painting is ambiguous, however, about the veteran's future. To better understand the painting, historians consult primary sources such as letters, diaries, newspapers, and government documents. By examining the painting in its historical context, we can better appreciate its complexity and relevance to American society. Ultimately, the meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.