Artwork
A harvest field
A harvest field is a watercolor work on paper by the Impressionist artist A. Lavezzari. It dates from 1872 and is held in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. The work is a watercolor created in 1872 by A.
About this work
Overview
The work is a watercolor created in 1872 by A. Lavezzari. It depicts a rural harvest scene in which a barefoot woman, dressed in a plain white blouse and brown skirt, walks through tall grass while balancing a clay jug on her head. The composition includes haystacks and other laborers under a cloudy sky, and the artist’s signature appears on the piece.
Subject & Meaning
The painting presents a slice of everyday agrarian life, focusing on a solitary female figure engaged in the routine task of carrying water. Her red headscarf, loosely tied, and the light cloth she holds suggest modesty and practicality. The presence of distant workers and stacked hay conveys a communal effort during harvest, emphasizing the dignity of ordinary labor.
Technique & Style
Lavezzari employs soft, fluid brushstrokes characteristic of mid‑nineteenth‑century watercolor practice, allowing subtle variations of light across the sky and the swaying grasses. The limited palette of muted earth tones and the delicate handling of atmospheric effects create a sense of movement and immediacy, aligning the work with realist tendencies that favored truthful representation over idealisation.
History & Provenance
Signed by the artist, the watercolor dates to 1872, a period when realist depictions of rural labor were gaining prominence in European art. While specific ownership records are scarce, the piece has been referenced in catalogues of Lavezzari’s oeuvre and remains a documented example of his engagement with everyday subjects during the late nineteenth century.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Italian artist A. Lavezzari painted everyday life in watercolor during the 1870s. In *Italian peasant girl seated in a doorway* (1872) and *A harvest field* (1872), he captured quiet moments with soft brushstrokes,…
