Hare and Tortoise by Edward Bawden

Glicée print from original colour linocut, 1970.

In the 1970’s Bawden made a series of prints based on Aesop’s fables.

The tortoise and the hare each claim an ability to run fastest. They agree upon a race, but mid-way through, convinced of his skills, the hare decides to rest – to sleep by the roadside. The tortoise, aware of his own pace, decides to run all the way without stopping; he overtakes the hare, and so wins the race. The moral? Hard work is often better than skills taken for granted.