“In the Auvergne”
Here is one from a founder of the Barbizon School who was a huge inspiration for Vincent Van Gogh.
“In the Auvergne” is an oil on canvas painting by the French realism artist, Jean-François Millet, from 1866 to 1869. In this piece, Millet depicts a shepherd herding her sheep over a hill. His use of perspective makes the viewer feel as if they are at the bottom of a great hill looking up.
In 1866, Millet was staying in Auvergne with his wife and did a series of sketches that he would later turn into paintings, including this piece here. Millet was inspired by the inhabitants of this region, and he painted this piece while living north in Barbizon, France. He said, “the people are far more like peasants than those at Barbizon”.
Millet’s paintings from this time highlight the peasants from Auvergne and the rural labor that they employed. He wanted to show that their way of life, despite the advent of modern technology, was still hard living.
“In the Auvergne” is currently on display at the Art Institute of Chicago in Illinois, in the United States.
For more on Jean-François Millet, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
