Man Resting On His Spade

Man Resting On His Spade by Jean François Millet French, 1814-1875, is an exemplary print created during the height of the artist’s dedication to depicting the lives of the working poor. Classified as a woodcut, the image is expertly executed on delicate ivory wove China paper, a choice of medium that enhances the contrast and emphasizes the somber mood of the scene. Millet, a foundational figure in the French Realist movement, spent his career granting dignity and monumentality to agricultural laborers, subjects often overlooked by the official Salon and academic tradition of the mid-19th century.

The subject focuses on a solitary man, presumably a farmer or vineyard worker, caught in a moment of necessary pause. He leans heavily on his spade, the tool of his toil becoming a crucial structural element in the composition, framing his fatigued figure. The severity and simplicity of the drawing capture the inherent physical weight and quiet suffering associated with manual labor in rural France. The long time span attributed to this work (1834-1875) suggests that the subject of the resting worker was one Millet explored and revisited repeatedly throughout his artistic life, perhaps developing the theme across different media.

This powerful example of 19th-century prints is housed in the prestigious collection of the Art Institute of Chicago. As a master of the Barbizon school and a precursor to later Modernist concerns, Millet's profound impact on subsequent generations remains significant. Because the image dates from this period, high-quality documentation of Man Resting On His Spade is frequently found in the public domain, ensuring scholars and enthusiasts worldwide can study Millet’s enduring contribution to graphic arts.