Working Late

'Working Late' was first exhibited at the Old Watercolour Society (now the Royal Watercolour Society) in 1873. Like many of Hunt's late watercolours, most of which are concerned with spectacular or unusual effects of light, it is characterised by an exhaustive stipple technique and a poetic conception of the landscape. The attention paid to the detailed description of the foreground rocks provides an interesting connection with Hunt's earlier Pre-Raphaelite period. Hunt's masterful handling of colour and light supports the opinion of those who regard him as the Victorian heir of JMW Turner (1775 - 1851). In the middle distance Hunt has created a pleasing contrast between the toil of the workers in the field on the left with the almost motionless calm of the cattle on the right .