For Novembers Cultured Calm Painting, I have chosen ‘The Line of the Plough’ by Sir Arnesby Brown.
I was drawn to this painting because of its distinctly wintery feel. I didn’t know when I first looked at it but, the painting is of the Norfolk coast line. It is Blakeney a place I know well, and a place many others now know well for the abundance of seals which inhabit this part of the coast. Growing up in Norfolk, the flatness of the land and the big skies seen here are views I have observed and been part of countless times.
There is a desolateness in the Norfolk landscape which comes at this time of year when the last leaves have blown from the trees and the land is brown and bare. The air is cold, the days are short and the and the light is clear and crisp stretching out across the sea. The furrow of the plough sweeps towards the water and the Windmill stands alone emphasising the emptiness of the landscape.
This is an painting which makes me want to pull on some warm clothes and head out on a long walk.
Although the painting is not now being exhibited, it has been at The Tate previously and you can still see it on The Tate Website.
