Holmead: The Mower - Oil on canvas - 1954
Holmead: The Mower - Oil on canvas - 1954
Holmead: The Mower - Oil on canvas - 1954
Show Show Show

Holmead: The Mower - Oil on canvas - 1954

A powerful, atmospherically dense painting of British post-war modernism. "The Mower" by Clifford Holmead Phillips , created in 1954, powerfully depicts the physical presence of human labor. This large-format, unique work combines expressive painting with social depth and is among the most compelling figurative works in Holmead's oeuvre.

€10.875
Tax included.
  •   Original artwork
  •   Authenticity verified with certificate
  •   Return policy

artist

Clifford Holmead Phillips

Technology & Printing Processes

Oil on canvas

Details

Year of origin: 1954

Size in cm:101 x 81 stretcher frame
Size in cm:106 x 86 frame

Condition:Good

Special features

Edition:Unique

Signatures:Bottom left, "Holmead" in red paint with a brush; top right, "HP 54" in blue-green paint with a brush; verso on the canvas, "HPinx 54" and the title "The Mower" in black chalk.

Reference:Catalogue raisonné Groscurth No. Im 54/1013

Authenticity & Guarantee

We guarantee the authenticity of this original print. The work is delivered with a written certificate of authenticity. All information regarding technique, date of creation, and provenance has been carefully verified.

Do you have a question?

  • Call us on 030 - 20165666
  • Write us an email: kontakt@antiquariatgaston.de

Shipping & Returns

Jedes Kunstwerk wird von uns sorgfältig geprüft, dokumentiert und individuell verpackt.

Der Versand erfolgt – abhängig von Größe und Beschaffenheit – per Paketdienst oder über spezialisierte Kunstlogistik.

Bitte beachten Sie, dass es sich bei unseren Arbeiten um originale Kunstwerke handelt. Rückgaben sind daher nicht aufgrund persönlicher Geschmacksentscheidungen möglich.

Sollte ein Werk jedoch beschädigt ankommen oder erheblich von der Beschreibung abweichen, bitten wir um umgehende Kontaktaufnahme, damit wir gemeinsam eine Lösung finden können.

Information about the work

Image description

At the center of the painting stands a male figure, bent low over his work, guiding a scythe through thick grass. The body appears heavy, almost embedded in the landscape – as if man and earth were inextricably linked. Bold, impasto brushstrokes shape arms, shoulders, and clothing, while the face remains merely suggested, eluding the viewer.

The color palette is earthy and muted: browns, greens, and ochres dominate the image, interspersed with cooler shades of blue and gray in the background. Sky and field merge into a vibrant expanse that conveys movement and effort. The light is shifting, not naturalistic but emotionally charged – reinforcing the impression of heaviness, work, and concentration.

The image conveys less a specific scene than a state of being: physical toil, inner contemplation, and quiet dignity.

Artistic context

"The Mower" was created in 1954, during a period whenHolmeadIt grappled intensely with the human condition within the tension between work, nature, and existence. In British post-war art, simple activities and everyday figures increasingly came into focus – not idealized, but with psychological depth and expressive power.

Holmead combines a figurative basic structure with a highly painterly, almost abstract surface treatment. The visible brushstrokes and the dense materiality of the paint lend the work a physical presence that makes the act of mowing almost palpable. Humans do not appear as heroic figures, but rather as part of a larger cycle of nature, labor, and time.

The work exemplifies Holmead's ability to combine traditional motifs with a modern, emotionally charged visual language.

Holmead

Clifford Holmead Phillips(1904–1976), known by his stage nameHolmead, was a British modernist painter with a strong connection to figurative and expressive painting. He worked primarily in the mid-20th century and developed a distinctive visual language that mediates between figuration and abstraction.

Holmead's works often focus on people and their environment – ​​workers, landscapes, existential situations. He was less concerned with narrative details than with inner states, tension, and emotional truth. His painting is characterized by bold, impasto brushstrokes, textured surfaces, and a deliberate reduction of forms.

Within British post-war art, Holmead occupies a quiet but distinctive position. His works are rarely found on the market and are particularly valued for their authenticity, craftsmanship, and atmospheric density."The Mower"is a striking example of his artistic aim to depict man in his fundamental relationship to the world.