Haystacks: Autumn
ca. 1874
Medium
Oil on canvas
Dimensions
33 1/2 x 43 3/8 in. (85.1 x 110.2 cm)
Classification
Paintings
Department
European Paintings
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Bequest of Lillian S. Timken, 1959
Accession Number
60.71.12
Tags
About this artwork
This paintings titled "Haystacks: Autumn" by Jean-François Millet dates to ca. 1874. Executed in oil on canvas, this work exemplifies the craftsmanship associated with European Paintings. The piece demonstrates the technical skill and artistic vision characteristic of its period. The work's presence in a major museum collection attests to its significance in the broader narrative of art history. As part of institutional holdings, it serves both scholarly research and public education, offering i...
Art Historical Context
Jean-François Millet's *Haystacks: Autumn*ca. 1874) captures the serene beauty of rural France during harvest season, a recurring theme in the artist's oeuvre. A leading figure in the Barbizon school and Realism movement, Millet shifted focus from heroic subjects to the honest dignity of peasant life, painting en plein air near his Barbizon home. This oil-on-canvas work depicts golden haystacks dotting an autumnal landscape, likely with grazing sheep, evoking the cyclical rhythms of nature and agrarian labor amid the fading light of day. Millet's masterful use of oil allowed for rich, texture...
About the Artist
Jean-François Millet · 1814–1875
Jean-François Millet (1814-1875) was a French painter and one of the founders of the Barbizon school, whose dignified depictions of peasant laborers transformed how art could represent rural life. His monumental images of sowers, gleaners, and field workers elevated common people to subjects previously reserved for mythological or historical figures, making him a pivotal figure in the development ...