How does The Cotton Pickers elucidate its Description?
In "The Cotton Pickers", Homer employs a palette of browns and silvery grays on a canvas that measures approximately 24 by 38 inches. The piece offers a realistic view of two female "slave-like" workers. The women are presented from a low vantage point, filling the canvas and dominating the composition. They are dressed in humble clothing, cotton blouses and long skirts. The colors are blurred and dim with little contrast in shadow and texture, except for the background which appears much lighter than the women. The darker colors with which the pair are painted establish the work's entire atmosphere.Judging by the light, the scene is set in early morning. As the women have nearly filled their basket and sack, they have probably been working since before dawn. Both are silent with vivid expressions. The painter renders the pair with a combination of black and white physical characteristics. Neither woman is picking cotton. The unhappy one on the left, holding a bushel basket, stoops to brush a plant with her hand. The woman on the right, gunny sack slug across her shoulder, stands erect gazing into the distance, a poignant image of inner life and aspiration. Her demeanor might be interpreted as one of defiance or hatred. While the figures are painted as powerful and heroic, they are also portrayed as individuals.Far into the distance, Homer places a low blue-green mountain range bordered on the left by a forest and on the right by a single pine rising high above the pale field.