Description

The mural “Men at Rest” was painted for the Morrilton post office by Richard Sargent in 1939. The work was sponsored by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts. It is no longer located in the post office, but has instead been moved to the front entryway of the Conway County Courthouse.

“Richard Sargent was commissioned for $590 to create a mural for Morrilton, Arkansas as a result of an Honorable Mention in a Section of Fine Arts Competition. The section chose the current composition, formerly titled ‘Thirsting Men,’ from a number of black and white sketches Sargent had submitted. The mural is Sargent’s interpretation of the weariness one feels after a day’s work under a hot sun.

The mural depicts three men in front of a wagon load of hay as they pause a moment to take turns quenching their thirst. To the left of the wide meadow is a barn and another wagon from which hay is being unloaded. The mountain in the background is typical of the Arkansas Ozarks.”

(uca.edu)