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The Messages Behind Millet’s Pastoral Scenes

French painter Jean-Francois Millet (October 4, 1814 -- January 20, 1875) has been much celebrated for his realistic yet poetic renderings of 1800s rural France and the peasants who worked the land. But in many cases, there is more to Millet’s tranquil paintings than first meets the eye.

The Gleaners, for instance, one of Millet’s best-known paintings, depicts several women peacefully working a field. At first glance, it’s a simple enough scene -- but the painting actually makes a powerful, universal statement about the working class. In the 1800s, gleaning (gathering leftovers from a harvest) was deemed a lowly activity. But here, Millet touches his subjects' shoulders with a golden, almost angelic light, rendering them heroines, rather than lower-class citizens.

In this painting, Millet depicts a peasant couple with heads bowed in prayer over their crops. They are presumed to be reciting the Angelus, a thrice-daily devotional. Again, bringing his subjects center stage and tenderly portraying their devotion to their work, Millet elevates his subjects from simple peasants to guardians of the land. Having a humble and meager existence himself, Millet took every opportunity to use his artwork to portray the dignity of the working class and to improve its status in the eyes of society.

Political agendas aside, Millet's scenes are easy to enjoy and appreciate for their aesthetic beauty alone. They also suit a wide range of decor styles, from Traditional to Casual. And October being the month of Millet's birth, what better time to explore the work of this historic artist?