The Sower (Slovene: Sejalec), created in 1907, is an oil on canvas painting by the Slovene Impressionist painter and musician Ivan Grohar. It is an image of a peasant sowing seeds on a ploughed field in an early and foggy morning. A hayrack, typical of the Slovene landscape, stands in the back, and even farther, the rocks of the small hill Kamnitnik near Škofja Loka. It has been a metaphor for the 19th-century myth of Slovenes as a vigorous nation in front of an unclear destiny,[1] a symbol for the Slovene nation that sows in order that it could harvest, and a depiction of human interrelatedness with the nature.[2] It is also a reflection of the context of Slovene transition from a rural to an urban culture.[3] It has become one of the most characteristic and established Slovene creations in visual arts. It has been used by the IRWIN art group as well as the Semenarna Ljubljana seed company, and is depicted on the Slovenian 5 cent euro coin.

The Sower
Slovene: Sejalec
A peasant sowing seeds in an early foggy morning. A hayrack stands in the distance.
ArtistIvan Grohar
Year1907 (1907)
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions120 cm × 108 cm (47 in × 43 in)
LocationNational Gallery of Slovenia, Ljubljana

References

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  1. ^ Smrekar, Andrej. "Slovenska moderna" [Slovene Early Modernism] (in Slovenian). National Gallery of Slovenia. Archived from the original on 2013-10-26.
  2. ^ Naglič, Miha (6 June 2008). "Je človek še Sejalec" [Is a Man Still a Sower]. Gorenjski glas (in Slovenian). Archived from the original on 8 February 2013.
  3. ^ Smrekar, Andrej (4 December 2007). "Pogled na ...: Ivan Grohar, Sejalec" [A Look on...: Ivan Grohar, The Sower] (in Slovenian). RTV Slovenija. Archived from the original on 5 September 2012.