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Artist Profile: Jean-François Millet

By Shelley Esaak, About.com

Jean-Francois Millet - The Angelus

The Angelus (1857-59 Musee d'Orsay, Paris);

Scan © Mark Harden, used with permission
Movement, Style, School or Type of Art:

Realism, Barbizon School

Date and Place of Birth:

October 4, 1814, Gruchy (near Gréville), France

Life:

Son of a farmer, Millet was the one French Realist painter who honestly was a peasant. After spotty training under Delaroche, Millet did conventional portraiture for (literal) bread, until gaining recognition at the Salon of 1844. His best-known, beloved scenes of everyday farming life were met with alarm and criticism when first shown. Though he lived among, and was great friends with, the Barbizon landscape painters, he preferred painting his brethren peasants and did so with great empathy.

Important Works:

    The Winnower (1847-48)
    The Sower (1850)
    The Angelus (1857-1859)
    The Gleaners (1857)
Date and Place of Death:

January 20, 1875, Barbizon, France

See more resources on Jean-François Millet by following the links at right

Go to Artist Profiles: Names beginning with "M" or Artist Profiles: Main Index

(Image scan courtesy and copyright of Mark Harden, used with kind permission. Please visit The Artchive for more fine resources.)

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