Desire Francois Millet Paintings

Jean-François Millet, often known as just François Millet, was a French painter and one of the founders of the Barbizon school in rural France. Millet is noted for his scenes of peasant farmers; he can be categorized as part of the Realism art movement. Born on October 4, 1814, in Gréville-Hague, in Normandy, he grew up in a family of small farmers. His upbringing in a rural community would significantly influence his future works, as he developed a keen interest in portraying the life and labor of peasant farmers.

Millet moved to Paris in 1837 to study at the École des Beaux-Arts and trained under Paul Delaroche. Initially, he painted portraits and mythological themes, which was the trend at the time. However, he was not commercially successful initially, and his early years in Paris were marked by poverty. Despite these challenges, Millet's interest in depicting the rural life of his childhood grew stronger.

The turning point in Millet's career came with the 1849 Salon, where he exhibited 'The Winnower', which attracted attention for its depiction of rural labor. However, it was his painting 'The Sower', exhibited at the Salon of 1850, that signaled his emergence as a leading figure in the Realist movement. Millet's most famous work, 'The Gleaners' (1857), further cemented his reputation. It depicted peasant women gleaning the remains of a harvest and was both praised and criticized for its portrayal of the rural poor.

Millet's work had a profound influence on later artists, including Vincent van Gogh, who was inspired by Millet's themes of peasant life. Millet's focus on the dignity of manual labor, the beauty of the rural landscape, and the hardships faced by the working class made him a significant figure in the art of his time.

He spent the latter part of his life in the village of Barbizon, the center of the Barbizon school, where he continued to paint scenes of peasant life. Jean-François Millet passed away on January 20, 1875, in Barbizon, France. His legacy is that of a pioneer who brought the everyday struggles and toil of the peasantry into the spotlight of fine art.