Oil paint on canvas
Tate Collection
Works with images
General Collection
Collection
<a href="https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/frederick-walker-575" aria-label="More by Frederick Walker" data-gtm-name="header_link_artist" data-gtm-destination="page--artist">Frederick Walker</a>
Harbour Refuge
Presented by Sir William Agnew Bt 1893
adults
agriculture and fishing
agriculture, gardening & fishing
almshouse
architecture
Berkshire
birth to death
birth to death
blossom
Bray, Jesus Hospital
broom
charity
daughter
death - reaper
death - sunset
domestic
emotions and human qualities
emotions, concepts and ideas
England
England, South East
England, Southern
family
fine arts and music
garden
garden structures
gardening
health and welfare
lawn
leisure and pastimes
man
medieval
mother
objects
old age
people
periods and styles
places
recreational activities
residential
sculpture
scythe
serenity
shears
society
sunset
symbols and personifications
times of the day
tree
UK cities, towns and villages
UK counties
UK countries and regions
walking
woman
woman, old
work and occupations
<p>This painting was inspired by a group of elderly people seen sitting outside a church. The background was painted at the Jesus Hospital at Bray, near Maidenhead. The theme is the passage of time and the inevitability of death. Youth is contrasted with age, vigour with decrepitude, and death is symbolised by the scythe wielded by the young man. The old men beneath the statue listen to a man reading, but they also wait for the end of their lives. The warm glow of sunset signals the end of the day, but also provides an atmosphere of human resignation in the face of death.</p><p><em>Gallery label, September 2004</em></p>
painting oil paint canvas
29 August 2001 – 25 July 2005
2005-07-25
29 August 2001
2001-08-29
Tate Britain (London, UK)
http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/
2001-08-29
Art and Victorian Society
Collection based display
The Harbour of Refuge
support: 1168 × 1975 mm
Presented by Sir William Agnew Bt 1893
<div class="para1">
<span class="text0">This <a class="glossarylinktopopup" data-gtm-destination="article-page" data-gtm-name="body_text_link" href="http://www.tate.org.uk/learn/online-resources/glossary/p/painting" title="Glossary definition for 'Painting'"><span>painting</span></a> was inspired by a group of elderly people      seen sitting outside a church. The background was painted at the Jesus      Hospital at Bray, near Maidenhead. The theme is the passage of time and the      inevitability of death. Youth is contrasted with age, vigour with      decrepitude, and death is symbolised by the scythe wielded by the young      man. The old men beneath the statue listen to a man reading, but they also      wait for the end of their lives. The warm glow of sunset signals the end of      the day, but also provides an atmosphere of human resignation in the face      of death. </span>
</div>

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2004-09-08T00:00:00
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adults agriculture and fishing agriculture, gardening & fishing almshouse architecture Berkshire birth to death birth to death blossom Bray, Jesus Hospital broom charity daughter death - reaper death - sunset domestic emotions and human qualities emotions, concepts and ideas England England, South East England, Southern family fine arts and music garden gardening garden structures health and welfare lawn leisure and pastimes man medieval mother objects old age people periods and styles places recreational activities residential sculpture scythe serenity shears society sunset symbols and personifications times of the day tree UK cities, towns and villages UK counties UK countries and regions walking woman woman, old work and occupations