Peasants Going to Work

Peasants Going to Work by Jean François Millet French, 1814-1875, is a profound print created in 1863. This work is distinguished by its precise medium: an etching derived from a portion of the plate printed on ivory laid chine. As a quintessential example of the artist's focus on rural life, the composition captures two figures, presumably a man and a woman, making their way toward the fields in the early light. The visual narrative centers on the everyday, arduous reality of agricultural labor, defining the solemnity and persistence required for survival in 19th-century France.

Millet, a central figure in the Barbizon School and the French Realist movement, dedicated his career to elevating the dignity of the working class. Unlike many of his contemporaries who focused on mythological or bourgeois subjects, the artist focused unflinchingly on scenes of farm work, reflecting a significant socio-political consciousness prevalent in 1860s France. This classification as a print demonstrates Millet's mastery across multiple media, utilizing etching to achieve effects similar to his charcoal drawings. The etching technique allows for a stark depiction of light and shadow, giving weight and permanence to the figures as they traverse the barren ground. The careful attention to texture, achieved through the intricate lines characteristic of these early prints, defines both the desolate landscape and the simple, functional clothing of the laborers. This significant artwork is held in the permanent collection of the Art Institute of Chicago.