Peasant with a Wheelbarrow [SEP] collection
Peasant with a Wheelbarrow
Peasant with a Wheelbarrow is an oil painting by French artist Jean-François Millet, located in the Indianapolis Museum of Art, which is in Indianapolis, Indiana. Begun in 1848 but not finished until Millet found a buyer in 1852, it depicts a peasant man pushing a wheelbarrow.
Description.
In "Peasant with a Wheelbarrow", Millet took a peasant farmer with simple clothes and tools, and transformed him into a symbol of the dignity of manual labor. The peasant is utterly idealized
classically trained Millet was making a powerful political statement with this image, which raised a humble rural scene to the same level as a history painting. This intimate portrait reveals Millet's poetic side. Soon, he would transition to epic canvases for the Salon.
Historical information Acquisition.
"Peasant with a Wheelbarrow" was acquired by the IMA in 1949, a gift of the James E. Roberts Fund and the Alumni Association of the John Herron Art School. It is currently on view in the Norb & Ruth Schaefer, Sr