Millet - the painter, not the grain!

The Gleaners - Millet

 Another French painter for you today, Millet.  His most famous work is this one just above, The Gleaners.  He is showing here the poorest of women – those with no proper work but who pick out one by one the small scraps left behind by the harvesters. It is a fantastic depiction of the reality of peasant life in the 19^th century while still being beautiful.

Millet, himself, was the son of a farm labourer.  This sort of painting was considered quite radical in its day because of its social realism.

The original of The Gleaners can be found in Paris in the Musee D'Orsay link

While famous for his peasant paintings he did other sorts of work as well.

Bouquet of Daisies - Millet

This is a still life

This is a portrait

Woman Baking Bread - Millet

But it is ones about everyday life like this Woman Baking Bread that really draw me in.