Jean Francois Millet

Besides being a very famous French painter, Millet was also an influential social critic. He had a strong leftist perspective and influenced the development of photography and film. He died in 1875.

Jean.François Millet

Early works

Often considered a leading figure in the Barbizon school, Jean Francois Millet was an influential artist and his work had a profound influence on later modern movements in art. Known for his portrayal of peasants toiling in rural landscapes, his early works often included mythological imagery and religious subtexts.

During his childhood in Normandy, Millet’s family was wealthy. But after his father’s death, the Millets became worried about their finances. Their only source of income was the wood in their stove, and they were only able to eat during illness. Eventually, the family had to sell their belongings in order to afford the expenses.

As a young painter, Millet worked with crayons and water-colors. He grew up in the countryside of France, and his art reflected the culture of his region. He kept a collection of clothing and rags for inspiration. In addition, he wrote letters and was prolific in his letters.

He studied under Paul Delaroche, who was famous for his history paintings. However, he left the academic style of art education and began working on his own style of painting. After leaving Cherbourg, Millet stayed in Paris for two years. He worked on a series of pictures that depicted the four seasons. He also painted portraits of younger people.

He was commissioned to paint a portrait of the former mayor of Cherbourg. He then painted the English Channel shoreline. He was a member of the Salon and exhibited his work. His work influenced many artists, including William Morris Hunt and Vincent van Gogh.

In 1847, Millet had his first success at the Salon with his painting ‘Oedipus Taken Down from the Tree’. This painting was inspired by an ancient Greek legend. It is the only painting of Millet’s that is dated. He thought it was the most important of his works.

Influence on photography and film

Known as the founder of the Barbizon school of painters, Jean-François Millet was a French artist who painted scenes of rural life. He was also a leading influence on other artists such as Vincent van Gogh.

Millet was born in 1814 in the Norman village of Gruchy, France. He grew up with a family of farmers and had a good education. He began his art career with studies with Paul Delaroche. He later studied with Lucien-Theophile Langlois, a former pupil of Antoine-Jean Gros.

In the early 1840s, Millet had a couple of artistic successes. One of his portraits was accepted for the Paris Salon of 1840. He was also awarded the Legion of Honor in 1865. He exhibited nine paintings at the 1867 Paris Universal Exposition. However, he was unsuccessful in his bid for the Prix de Rome.

When Millet moved to Cherbourg in 1844, he found it difficult to find work. He took as a companion servant a young girl named Catherine Lemaire. They married in a civil ceremony in 1853. Despite this, the relationship was not harmonious. It also disrupted the relationship with his religious family.

Millet returned to his native Normandy during the war with Prussia. He became interested in rural life and painting peasants. He painted thousands of scenes of French rural life. He eventually settled in the Barbizon region of France.

During his lifetime, Millet’s work was admired by a wide circle of critics. But he faced considerable opposition to his attempts to depict outdoor peasants in an elevated style. After his death in 1875, his large family fell into financial difficulty. His reputation was also given a boost by posthumous auctions.

The Gleaners is perhaps the best-known of Millet’s early works. This painting is considered to be a turning point in his career. It marks a shift from pastoral subjects to more realistic, more natural scenes.

Relationship with Catherine Lemaire

During the years that Millet was in Barbizon, he had several friends. Theodore Rousseau, Frederic Hartmann, Charles Jacque, Narcisse Diaz, Constant Troyon, and others were among his fellow artists.

Millet was also known as an unspoken social critic, whose peasant subjects embodied the dignity of labor. His work is distinguished by absolute truthfulness to nature.

When he was still in Barbizon, Millet met a woman named Catherine Lemaire. The two of them were married in 1853. They had nine children. They lived in a three room home that had a kitchen, bedroom, and studio.

Throughout his life, Millet was ill and had a lot of headaches. He kept a rag collection. In his later works, he exhibited more gestural brushwork. His subject matter was inspired by his personal experiences.

Jean-Louis-Nicolas Millet was the first child of a peasant family in Gruchy. He studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts with Paul Delaroche.

In the middle of the 1840s, Millet met many of the Barbizon artists. He began working on his Four Seasons series. He painted intermittently on the series for seven years. Eventually, he gathered all the works together and submitted them to the Salon in 1867. He lost the commission.

In addition to his paintings, Millet also created sketches of suicides. His self-portrait is in the Musee d’Orsay. He also had a strained relationship with his religious family. His erotic subjects made his relationship with his religion difficult.

He received a number of commissions, including portraits of young people. His work became increasingly expensive. He was unable to meet all of the commissions due to his failing health.

In 1872, Millet returned to Barbizon. He remained there for the rest of his life. He died on January 20, 1875.

Social critic with a leftist viewpoint

During his life, Millet’s artwork influenced several famous artists. He was a prominent member of the Realist movement and a social critic who had a leftist viewpoint. The art of Jean Francois Millet is widely influential and has influenced many post-impressionists and modernists.

The paintings of Millet are thought to have inspired Vincent van Gogh. His depictions of light, inner strength, and light were also admired by other artists such as Paul Modersohn-Becker and William Morris Hunt.

“The Sower” is an 1850 painting by Jean Francois Millet. The painting shows a peasant man working in the fields. The painting is considered to be a Social Realist work, and is often associated with Gustave Courbet’s works.

During his lifetime, Millet was often ill and anxious. He had migraines and suffered from rheumatism throughout his life. He also wrote about headaches and a fever. He did not always receive payment for his work.

In his later years, Millet lived in Barbizon, France. He was a prolific writer of letters. He was known to have an erudition that impressed visitors. He would recite Shakespeare and La Fontaine. He also participated in philosophical conversations. He was often anxious, but he was an active artist.

In the Salon, Millet was a jury member in 1870. He had a large exhibit of his work at the Exposition Universelle. He was known for his ability to draught, and his art had a huge influence on the literary world. He was awarded the title of Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur. His first Salon success came with his painting, “Oedipus Taken down from the Tree” in 1847.

His last years were marked by financial success. His paintings were commissioned for advertising signs. He also exhibited his landscape entitled “November.”

Death in 1875

During his lifetime, Jean Francois Millet was known for his peasant paintings. His works are thought to have influenced many later artists. Often times, Millet’s paintings are said to depict the inner strength of his subjects.

The artist had a deep feeling of class consciousness. He saw the peasant-class as the most noble fulfillment of the Old Testament Book of Genesis 3:19: “in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread”. He also saw the value of physical labor in a country setting.

While at Barbizon, Millet had the opportunity to paint outdoors and was able to experience a more naturalistic style of painting. He also became close friends with other artists there. He spent time with Charles Jacque, Narcisse Diaz de la Pena, Charles Ledru Rollin, Leon Auguste Adolphe Belly, Louis Leroy, and Charles-Ernest Clerget.

During his lifetime, Millet was a prolific writer of letters. In 1868, he was awarded the Legion of Honor. His work was exhibited at the 1867 Paris Universal Exposition. His paintings were sold for high prices and he was often unable to pay for his art.

Despite his success and his artistic talent, Millet was often ill. He was a victim of rheumatic fever in the spring of 1847. He suffered from headaches and violent migraines. He also suffered from rheumatism throughout his life.

In 1853, Millet married Catherine Lemaire. They had nine children together. They moved to Paris in 1849. During the French Revolution, Millet’s family was very changed. His mother had died early in 1853. He was swindled out of most of his money. He was in danger of losing his wife. He was worried about his financial security.