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National Gallery, Room 1. 7 August – 19 October 2025. Admission free.
If you have read the classic book on English rural life, Ronald Blythe’s Akenfield, you will know that such a life, particularly before farming was mechanised, was one of unremitting hardship and poverty, and definitely not to be romanticised. The French painter Jean-François Millet rendered that sort of life in paint. In this relatively small selection of Millet’s work there are two masterpieces, L’Angelus from 1857-9 and The Winnower, circa 1847-8.
Millet preceded Impressionism by a good twenty years and is probably best described as a Naturalist, although that term is not quite sufficient. His subjects often have facial detail simplified down to a sculptural abstracted form, eschewing naturalism for something less real but with more weight. His principal concern is the rural poor, and most of the images in this exhibition are of people hard at work, or resting after work has finished. We see stooping peasants in heavy clothing, often against an unforgiving and dark backdrop. An unfinished painting of 1868-75, The Faggot Gatherers, is a prime example. Three women stumble out of the forest under back-breaking loads. Millet has reduced the detail of their bodies and faces almost to silhouettes. We are left with an image of utter exhaustion.
Millet worked on a relatively small scale – the largest picture here is 1 metre by 80 cm and there are a good many with dimensions less than 30cm. His work was quite well received by the French critical establishment of the time, but his most enthusiastic collectors were in the UK and America. Salvador Dali was a huge fan of L’ Angelus and re-worked it in his own style several times.
L’Angélus 1857-59, Oil on canvas 55.5 x 66 cm, Musée d’Orsay, Paris.
L’ Angelus by itself is enough reason to visit the show. Two figures stand in the foreground. They have been harvesting potatoes – arduous and ache-inducing work. They hear the ringing of the Angelus bells, the call to prayer, coming from the church at Chailly-en-Bière seen on the far horizon. It is a signal to stop work for a moment, to pray, to contemplate, to remember departed loved ones and, in all probability, to reflect on life’s hardships. The whole scene is bathed in the subtle glowing light of dusk, a fabulous depiction of the world suspended between day and night.
In two other works here, Millet places his human subject against a strong back light: The Sower of 1847-8 and A Milkmaid of 1853. To my mind neither works quite so well. However in The Wood Sawyers of 1850-2 and The Winnower of 1847-8 his backgrounds are dark and the available light shines onto the clothing of the workers concerned, emphasising the raw physicality of the tasks they are undertaking. And notice in the latter how effectively Millet renders the cloud of chaff rising from the basket.
The Winnower, about 1847-8, oil on canvas 100.5 × 71 cm, The National Gallery, London
Amongst the paintings are several drawings in chalk or crayon. The shepherdess, as a subject, is one Millet returned to often. They are invariably portrayed as lonely, weary, stoical and dignified.
Study for ‘Shepherdess at Rest’ 1849. Black crayon on paper 29.8 x 19.2 cm. Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge.
This is not a block-buster show. Of possibly a thousand pieces that Millet produced there are only fifteen displayed here. But given that it is free to attend, and that there are two truly great paintings to enjoy, I suggest it is very well worth an hour of your time.
Millet: Life on the Land.
National Gallery, Room 1. 7 August – 19 October 2025. Admission free.
If you have read the classic book on English rural life, Ronald Blythe’s Akenfield, you will know that such a life, particularly before farming was mechanised, was one of unremitting hardship and poverty, and definitely not to be romanticised. The French painter Jean-François Millet rendered that sort of life in paint. In this relatively small selection of Millet’s work there are two masterpieces, L’Angelus from 1857-9 and The Winnower, circa 1847-8.
Millet preceded Impressionism by a good twenty years and is probably best described as a Naturalist, although that term is not quite sufficient. His subjects often have facial detail simplified down to a sculptural abstracted form, eschewing naturalism for something less real but with more weight. His principal concern is the rural poor, and most of the images in this exhibition are of people hard at work, or resting after work has finished. We see stooping peasants in heavy clothing, often against an unforgiving and dark backdrop. An unfinished painting of 1868-75, The Faggot Gatherers, is a prime example. Three women stumble out of the forest under back-breaking loads. Millet has reduced the detail of their bodies and faces almost to silhouettes. We are left with an image of utter exhaustion.
Millet worked on a relatively small scale – the largest picture here is 1 metre by 80 cm and there are a good many with dimensions less than 30cm. His work was quite well received by the French critical establishment of the time, but his most enthusiastic collectors were in the UK and America. Salvador Dali was a huge fan of L’ Angelus and re-worked it in his own style several times.
L’ Angelus by itself is enough reason to visit the show. Two figures stand in the foreground. They have been harvesting potatoes – arduous and ache-inducing work. They hear the ringing of the Angelus bells, the call to prayer, coming from the church at Chailly-en-Bière seen on the far horizon. It is a signal to stop work for a moment, to pray, to contemplate, to remember departed loved ones and, in all probability, to reflect on life’s hardships. The whole scene is bathed in the subtle glowing light of dusk, a fabulous depiction of the world suspended between day and night.
In two other works here, Millet places his human subject against a strong back light: The Sower of 1847-8 and A Milkmaid of 1853. To my mind neither works quite so well. However in The Wood Sawyers of 1850-2 and The Winnower of 1847-8 his backgrounds are dark and the available light shines onto the clothing of the workers concerned, emphasising the raw physicality of the tasks they are undertaking. And notice in the latter how effectively Millet renders the cloud of chaff rising from the basket.
Amongst the paintings are several drawings in chalk or crayon. The shepherdess, as a subject, is one Millet returned to often. They are invariably portrayed as lonely, weary, stoical and dignified.
This is not a block-buster show. Of possibly a thousand pieces that Millet produced there are only fifteen displayed here. But given that it is free to attend, and that there are two truly great paintings to enjoy, I suggest it is very well worth an hour of your time.
Graham Buchan © 2025.
By Graham Buchan • art, drawing, exhibitions, painting, year 2025 • Tags: art, drawing, exhibitions, Graham Buchan, painting