About the Artist
Jean-Francois Millet
Jean-François Millet (1814–1875) was a French painter and a founding member of the Barbizon school, renowned for his depictions of peasant life and rural landscapes. Born in Gruchy, Normandy, Millet hailed from a prosperous farming family and received a solid education before apprenticing under a painter in Cherbourg in 1833. By 1837, he moved to Paris to study at the École des Beaux-Arts under Paul Delaroche. Dissatisfied with academic conventions, Millet developed his own style, focusing on scenes of rural laborers and countryside life. In 1849, he settled in Barbizon, where he created some of his most iconic works, such as "The Gleaners" and "The Angelus." Millet's portrayal of the dignity and hardship of peasant life significantly influenced later artists, including Vincent van Gogh.
