Beloved for her charming and unexpected insights into nature and rural life, this is a classic example of Newcomb’s depictions of the farm on which she lived. Newcomb’s first solo show took place in London in 1970, the same decade that would then see her work shown across Europe and America, with Men Resting being exhibited at the Galerie Delpire, Paris, in 1973. This image is handled with such beautiful softness, with only the bright white river flowing through the board to give structure. Newcomb’s playful attitude with regards to perspective and proportion is on show, with the ducks and geese on the left-hand side appearing to be the same size as the men on the other side. There is a sparsity to the composition, though it doesn’t feel at all meagre as there are subjects and there is detail; bars of the gate, the characterful birds with their individual colours and markings, and the men wearing the caps traditionally worn by Suffolk farm labourers.