Millet

The study presents a concise biography and critical appreciation of Jean-François Millet, charting his early years, move to Paris, and struggle for recognition before examining his mature work and personality. It situates his peasant subjects within a lineage from Brueghel and Chardin, discusses influence of Italian masters such as Mantegna, and analyses recurring themes of rural labor, dignity, and melancholic sincerity. The author combines biographical narrative with visual analysis of representative paintings, reproduced in colour, and discusses technique, tone, composition, and the artist's relation to landscape and social context.