He showed the group a late nineteenth century painting of a country family meeting at harvest. The picture was painted by Richard Redgrave, a keen amateur artist who was the Keeper of Paintings at the Victoria and Albert Museum. The students were given thirty seconds to invent a title for the painting. The following were suggested:

 

Harvest Picnic
Rewards For Labour
The Country Idyll
Family Day Out
Contentment
Picnic
Harvest Lunch
Harvest Picnic
Bringing The Corn

 

 

 

Dr. Riley revealed the title of the painting to be: ‘And The Valleys Also Stand Thick With Corn', a quotation taken from the 23rd Psalm. He explained that the message was ‘Life in the countryside is good.' In pairs, the students discussed the question: ‘What is there in the painting that suggests that life in the countryside is good?' The students noted details such as the rich dresses on two of the girls; the leisurely, relaxed, cooperation of the family; the landscape bathed in golden sunlight; and the railway in the background, perhaps posing a threat to the rural idyll.