PHO 195 - History of Photography Assignment 1: The Gleaners Analysis

This essay provides a detailed analysis of Jean-François Millet's 'The Gleaners,' examining the painting's historical context, artistic style, and social commentary. The essay explores Millet's background, his connection to the Barbizon school, and the influence of French Realism on his work. It discusses the painting's depiction of rural life, the portrayal of the gleaners, and the social and political implications of the artwork. The essay also delves into the painting's reception, its exhibition history, and its significance as a masterpiece of art history. Furthermore, it considers the techniques used by Millet, including the use of light, color, and composition, to convey the painting's themes. The analysis also references the painting's ownership history and its current location in the Musée d'Orsay. The essay concludes by emphasizing the enduring impact of 'The Gleaners' as a powerful representation of the lives of the rural poor and a critical commentary on 19th-century French society.

Running head: THE GLEANERS BY JEAN-FRANÇOIS MILLET
The Gleaners by Jean-François Millet
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author Note

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Homage to a Masterpiece:
Title of this artwork: The Gleaners
Name of creator: Jean-François Millet
Date: 1857
Medium: Oil paint
Dimensions: 84 cm x 1.12 m
The artist came from France and lived from October 4, 1814 to January 20, 1875. Here is
considered to be one of co-founder of the popular “Barbizon school” present at the area of rural
France. His parents were the associates of the agricultural community at a village having the name

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Gruchy, present in Gréville-Hague. Within the guidance of a couple of village priests like vicar Jean
Lebrisseux, Millet gained knowledge of Latin and different modern authors. However, he had the
urgency to help his father since he was the oldest son. Hence, various tasks of the farmer has been
familiar to him like mowing, making hat, binding sheaves, thresh, winnow, spread, sow and plow
and so on. Al the motifs has reflected in his art later on (Millet, 2020). During 1833 he was sent to
study with Paul Dumouchel a portrait painter ("Great Works Of Western Art - The Gleaners").
In the current picture, realism is the style that is followed. More specifically it is the French
Realism. The idea of Realism has its roots in Francs from 1940s, after the famous French
Revolution. The Realists was revolting against the people following Romanticism having the strong
focus on dramatic impacts and intense level of emotions. Its objective was to depict the simple,
“real” human beings, ordinary and different events along with objectivity. Here, the original art
comprise of liberal usage of shadow with the usage of primary colors. The focus of the painting has
been put on the lowest ranks of rural society that has attracted considerable amount of the opposition
from the upper classes. Here, they were been upset because of the artistic affectation and communal
fanaticism and associated to the emerging Socialist movement. Nonetheless, this has been
acknowledged for its exhibition at almanac “Salon of the Academy”. Moreover, this has been highly
admired from the side of French republicans. This is for its self-esteem and realistic gratefulness of
pastoral poor (Harper). In the present secnario, Millet has mainly intended to provide the depiction
of Biblical story of Ruth, with a widow meeting Boaz. It had the kinsman and landowner eventually
turning to be her husband as she was seen to be gleaning in fields. Displaying the task at 1853 Salon,
the artist changes his to “Harvesters Resting”. This has been one of these woks that highlighted
group instead of any isolated figure under one single landscape. The tableu format composition of
Millet along with the soft palette has been denoting the understanding Nicolas Poussin, the classical
French Baroque artist (Zeybek, Hasan and Uğurcan).

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For the creation, the painter paid sharp focus on the composition through all the devices to
imbue the subjects having simple and immense splendor. Here, the angled-light of that sunset has
been accentuating the efficiency and sculptural excellence of those gleaners. On the other hand, the
expressions set and substantial and dense features has tended to attention on troublesome kind of the
job, picking them up and then binding with sheaf (Whitehead). The painting has been backbreaking
and put essential contribution to diet of the rural labors. The activity has been backbreaking and
made crucial involvement to diet of the pastoral workforces and one of the principal events that is
undertaken by the French peasants during that time. The artist himself had spent about a decade in
researching the entire process. The painting during 1889, has been owned by Ferdinand
Bischoffsheim, a banker that was sold for 300,000 francs at the auction. Here, the buyer has been
anonymous. Later it was owned by Jeanne-Alexandrine Louise Pommery, the Champagne maker.
After hear death during 1891 and as per her will, the painting has been donated to Louvre. At present
it is at Musée d'Orsay in Paris ("Millet Artworks & Famous Paintings").
The Gleaners has been providing the evidences of the role of Miller as the social critic of
contemporary time. The brutal depiction of the three hunched, women paupers separated out from
laborers and abundant crop at distant place has demonstrated the attention and sympathy for plight of
poorest level of member of community across Barbizon and the greater neighborhood place Chailly.
This is the area experienced with developing plants of modernization at France. Just approximately
35 miles from the capital of France, the rich wide plain bordering of the forest of Fontainebleau has
been the earliest with the rail connection towards Paris. This readily lent itself to feed the city of
burgeoning ("Millet, The Gleaners, 1875. Analysis."). The researchers has traced the change of rural
France during 19th century time that minute changes in the lives of peasants happened beyond Paris
and northern France till the ultimate quarter of that century. The representation of Millet of the class
strife over the huge scale farm has been distinctly modern during 1850.

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The drawing made by the artist were not drawn well and also perfectly real to the nature
having a rarer type of attribute. Here, the standard query regarding recreating the art of Millet is that
whether he has been sentimentalist. As The Gleaners has been one of the most popular and
sentimental image, that it turned to be familiar it is challenging to recreate fresh (Zhu).
The regeneration of the classic paining is done through a photo poster print. A special edition
of 24*16 Inch is present and as prints of different sizes are required, one must generate a
customization. It can be sled to compete with the reasonable price and cut corners on caliber of
design and materials (Ebewore). Due to the commitment to the print produced over the thick
glossary stock indicates that various colors present on the print received is exceptionally faithful to
those that are seen on the screen. This is the best image since it captured the grim type of hardship of
the common agricultural laborers and then imbued the peasant lives having the humanity that
influences the present day painters. It is the example of culmination 10 years enquiry on the melody
of the gleaners ("Musée D'orsay: Jean-François Millet Gleaners").
It is learnt from the art that it has the power to transform various lives and develop the
understanding round various cultures. Form trying to recreate that it is understood that brilliant
histories of art are for everybody irrespective of the background. The digital content recreated
unlocks the skill of hundreds of leading scholars making the history to be accessible and make more
to get engaged. Regarding the evaluation of history and culture it is assesses that the painter has
provided the certainly poor and less dignified nature of gleaners the identification or the measure
how they lived life.

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References:
"Great Works Of Western Art - The Gleaners". Worldsbestpaintings.Net, 2020,
http://www.worldsbestpaintings.net/artistsandpaintings/painting/103/.
"Millet Artworks & Famous Paintings". The Art Story, 2020,
https://www.theartstory.org/artist/millet-jean-francois/artworks/.
"Millet, The Gleaners, 1875. Analysis.". Artmarinagallery.Blogspot.Com, 2020,
http://artmarinagallery.blogspot.com/2013/03/millet-gleaners-1875-analysis.html.
"Musée D'orsay: Jean-François Millet Gleaners". Musee-Orsay.Fr, 2020, https://www.musee-
orsay.fr/index.php?id=851&L=1&tx_commentaire_pi1%5BshowUid%5D=341.
"The Gleaners, Jean-Francois Millet: Analysis". Visual-Arts-Cork.Com, 2020, http://www.visual-
arts-cork.com/paintings-analysis/gleaners-millet.htm.
Ebewore, Solomon Okeoghene. "Assessment of the Activities of Food Crop Gleaners in Delta State,
Nigeria." International Journal of Rural Management 14.2 (2018): 136-153.
Harper, Taylor L. "In Search of Lost Ecology: Recovering a Rural Past in Housekeeping & The
Gleaners and I." (2019).
Whitehead, Angus. "Jennifer Anne Champion, Caterwaul." Asiatic: IIUM Journal of English
Language and Literature 12.2 (2018): 214-217.
Zhu, Jianfei. "Reconstructing the ‘everyday’for a political aesthetic in design." arq: Architectural
Research Quarterly 21.3 (2017): 255-264.

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