Sowing 1932

Clare Leighton’s wood engraving captures a timeless scene: a lone figure sowing seeds across a landscape. This simple act of scattering seeds is heavy with symbolism: birth, growth, and the promise of future abundance. We see this figure echoed in countless works through time – consider the sower in Millet’s paintings, or even in ancient Egyptian tomb paintings, where scattering seeds ensured the pharaoh's eternal sustenance. In Leighton's print, the sower’s rhythmic stride and outstretched arm evoke not just physical labor but the cyclical nature of life itself. The act of sowing, deeply rooted in the human psyche, taps into our collective memories of agrarian life, hope, and resilience. It is a potent image that speaks to our fundamental connection to the earth. This act is filled with subconscious meaning, where it reflects a wish for a plentiful future and the hope for new beginnings. The symbol of the sower persists, a powerful reminder of the eternal cycle of life, death, and rebirth, resurfacing in art and culture across centuries.