In 1952 Vaughan began a series of paintings of large-scale figure groups or 'Asembly Figures'. They were based on his belief , '...that the human figure, the nude, is still a valid symbol for the expression of man's aspirations and reactions to the life of his time.' These heroic figures, farm workers, have a sense of remoteness, isolated from each other in spite of their overlaping forms. The restrained colour and powerful outlines tie them into the simplified landscape, which hangs like a theatre backdrop behind them.