Departure for Work (Le depart pour le travail), created by Jean-François Millet in 1863, is a powerful example of the artist's dedication to depicting the austere realities of rural French labor. Executed meticulously as an etching, this print medium allowed Millet to explore atmospheric density and sharp tonal contrasts, techniques crucial in establishing the emotional weight of the subject matter. Produced during the height of the Realist movement, Millet’s consistent focus on peasant life challenged the prevailing academic conventions of the time by placing everyday struggles at the forefront of serious artistic endeavor.
The composition centers on a peasant couple emerging from a humble dwelling, setting out together for their daily toil. Millet characteristically imbued his figures with a sense of quiet dignity, transforming the routine act of labor into a subject of profound, enduring significance. The robust, heavy lines employed in the etching technique emphasize both the burdens carried by the laborers and the ruggedness of the landscape they traverse. This powerful rendering of rural workers is characteristic of the French culture and artistic production during the 1851 to 1875 period, reflecting a growing societal awareness of the marginalized working class.
While Millet is perhaps most widely famous for his large oil paintings, such as The Gleaners and The Angelus, his works on paper and graphic prints, including Departure for Work, offer intimate and technically diverse studies of the human condition. The mastery shown in this etching confirms Millet’s influential role in 19th-century graphic arts, extending his legacy beyond traditional painting. This key print, exemplifying the French Realist tradition, is maintained in the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art. As with many significant works of this era, high-resolution images of these master prints are often made available to the public domain for scholarly research and appreciation.
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