Artwork
Peasant Girl Returning from the Well
Peasant Girl Returning from the Well is an oil painting by the Realist artist Jean François Millet. It dates from 1860 and is held in the collection of the Clark Art Institute.
About this work
Overview
Peasant Girl Returning from the Well is an 1860 oil painting by Jean-François Millet, a leading figure of the Barbizon school and the Realism movement. The work portrays a daily moment in the life of a rural laborer.
Subject & Meaning
The painting depicts a young peasant girl carrying two buckets, one in each hand, along a dirt path amidst trees and foliage. Her expressionless face contributes to an atmosphere of quiet contemplation, highlighting the dignity and everyday struggles of agricultural workers.
Technique & Style
Executed in oil paint, the piece features a somber, muted color palette dominated by greens and browns. This stylistic choice reinforces the Realist emphasis on unidealized, truthful representation of common life.
History & Provenance
Created in 1860, the painting exemplifies Millet's consistent focus on rural themes and laborers' lives, characteristic of both the Barbizon school and Realist movements.
Context
Within the broader art historical context, Peasant Girl Returning from the Well reflects the mid-19th-century shift towards depicting everyday, working-class subjects, moving away from dominant Romantic and Classical themes.
Artist & collection
Artist
Jean-François Millet (French pronunciation: ; 4 October 1814 – 20 January 1875) was a French painter and one of the founders of the Barbizon school in rural France.
