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Jean-François Millet

French painter (1814-1875) · France · Artists · Died at 60

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He painted peasants at work - not as pastoral decoration, but as the center of the frame. That choice made him both a founder of the Barbizon school and a lightning rod in 19th-century France.

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A life in dates

1875Died20 January 18751868Knight of the Legion of HonourAward1859“They [the Paris art-critics] wish to force me into their drawing-room art, to break my spirit. No, no! I was born as a peasant and a peasant I will die. I say what I feel.”In their wordsMarch 1859Quote from his letter, March 1859; as quoted by Arthur Hoeber in The Barbizon Painters - being the story of the Men of thirty - associate

1853“My dear Rousseau, I do not know if the two sketches which I enclose will be of any use to you.”In their wordsQuote in Millet's letter to Théodore Rousseau, from Barbizon early Spring 1853; as quoted in Jean Francois Millet, his Life and Letters,

1850“To tell the truth, peasant subjects suit my nature best, for I must confess, at the risk of your taking me to be a Socialist, that the human side is what touches me most in art..”In their wordsFebruary 1850In his letter to , Barbizon, February 1850; as quoted in Prints & drawings Europe 1500-1900 - catalogue for the exhibition 'European prints

“I work like a gang of slaves; the day seems five months long. My wish to make a winter landscape has become a fixed idea.”In their wordsQuote of Millet, in his letter from Barbizon, c. 1850 to in Paris; as cited by Arthur Hoeber in The Barbizon Painters - being the story of

1849“My dear Sensier, - I shall be greatly obliged if after reading and sealing the enclosed letter, you will take it to Rue du Delta, No. 8. [Paris]..”In their words28 June 1849Quote from Millet's first letter to , from Barbizon, 28 June 1849; as cited by Julia Cartwright in Jean Francois Millet, his Life and

1839“What do I care? 'I don't come here [studying with the Paris' artist & teacher Paul Delaroche to please anybody.”In their wordsQuote of Millet, c. 1839; as cited by biographer , in Jean-Francois Millet - Peasant and Painter, transl. Helena de Kay; publ. Macmillan

1814Born4 October 1814

Also in Deutsch

Photos 8

Jean-FrancoisMillet(Nadar)Jean-FrancoisMillet(Nadar)954 Un pastor y su rebaño954 Un pastor y su rebañoAutomne ou le vol d'oies sauvages d'après Jean-François Millet, PPG179(B)Automne ou le vol d'oies sauvages d'après Jean-François Millet, PPG179(B)CHASSE AUX OISEAUX PAR LUMIÈRE DES TORCHESCHASSE AUX OISEAUX PAR LUMIÈRE DES TORCHESChild Stories from the Masters - The AngelusChild Stories from the Masters - The AngelusChild Stories from the Masters - The SpinnerChild Stories from the Masters - The SpinnerEntwicklungsgeschichte der modernen Kunst Bd. 1 1920 (151079055)Entwicklungsgeschichte der modernen Kunst Bd. 1 1920 (151079055)FARMHOUSE AT GRUCHYFARMHOUSE AT GRUCHY

In their own words 10

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Jean-François Millet
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10 statements, newest first

  1. They [the Paris art-critics] wish to force me into their drawing-room art, to break my spirit. No, no! I was born as a peasant and a peasant I will die. I say what I feel.

    Mar 1859, Quote from his letter, March 1859; as quoted by Arthur Hoeber in The Barbizon Painters - being the story of the Men of thirty - associate, Own words

  2. Barbizon Thursday, My dear [Alfred] Sensier: M. Letrone, whom I do not know..

    Jan 19, 1854, Quote In his letter of 19 January 1854 from Barbizon, to ; as quoted in Jean Francois Millet, his Life and Letters, Julia Cartwright; Swan, Own words

  3. My dear Rousseau, I do not know if the two sketches which I enclose will be of any use to you.

    1853, Quote in Millet's letter to Théodore Rousseau, from Barbizon early Spring 1853; as quoted in Jean Francois Millet, his Life and Letters,, Own words

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Awards

Knight of the Legion of Honour1868

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About this person

Born in rural France on 4 October 1814, Millet grew up knowing the weight of farm labor firsthand. He turned that knowledge into art, placing peasant farmers at the heart of his compositions during the height of the Realism movement - a move that carried political charge in a country still reeling from revolution. As a founder of the Barbizon school, he worked in the countryside outside Paris, building a body of work in oil, pastel, Conté crayon, and etching. Toward the end of his life, the figures began to recede and the land itself took over. He died on 20 January 1875, having spent a career making visible what polite society preferred to ignore.

Country
France
Category
Artists
Type
Artist
Status
deceased
Dates
Lived 1814 to 1875 · aged 60

Artists from France 6

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