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diff --git a/43068.txt b/43068.txt deleted file mode 100644 index c2daf1d..0000000 --- a/43068.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1674 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook, Millet, by Percy Moore Turner - - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - - - - -Title: Millet - Masterpieces in Colour Series - - -Author: Percy Moore Turner - - - -Release Date: June 30, 2013 [eBook #43068] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII) - - -***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MILLET*** - - -E-text prepared by sp1nd, Matthew Wheaton, and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made -available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org) - - - -Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this - file which includes the original illustrations. - See 43068-h.htm or 43068-h.zip: - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/43068/43068-h/43068-h.htm) - or - (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/43068/43068-h.zip) - - - Images of the original pages are available through - Internet Archive. See - https://archive.org/details/milletocad00turnuoft - - - - - -Masterpieces in Colour - -Edited by--T. Leman Hare - -MILLET - -1814-1875 - - - * * * * * - - "MASTERPIECES IN COLOUR" SERIES - - - ARTIST. AUTHOR. - VELAZQUEZ. S. L. BENSUSAN. - REYNOLDS. S. L. BENSUSAN. - TURNER. C. LEWIS HIND. - ROMNEY. C. LEWIS HIND. - GREUZE. ALYS EYRE MACKLIN. - BOTTICELLI. HENRY B. BINNS. - ROSSETTI. LUCIEN PISSARRO. - BELLINI. GEORGE HAY. - FRA ANGELICO. JAMES MASON. - REMBRANDT. JOSEF ISRAELS. - LEIGHTON. A. LYS BALDRY. - RAPHAEL. PAUL G. KONODY. - HOLMAN HUNT. MARY E. COLERIDGE. - TITIAN. S. L. BENSUSAN. - MILLAIS. A. LYS BALDRY. - CARLO DOLCI. GEORGE HAY. - GAINSBOROUGH. MAX ROTHSCHILD. - TINTORETTO. S. L. BENSUSAN. - LUINI. JAMES MASON. - FRANZ HALS. EDGCUMBE STALEY. - VAN DYCK. PERCY M. TURNER. - LEONARDO DA VINCI. M. W. BROCKWELL. - RUBENS. S. L. BENSUSAN. - WHISTLER. T. MARTIN WOOD. - HOLBEIN. S. L. BENSUSAN. - BURNE-JONES. A. LYS BALDRY. - VIGEE LE BRUN. C. HALDANE MACFALL. - CHARDIN. PAUL G. KONODY. - FRAGONARD. C. HALDANE MACFALL. - MEMLINC. W. H. J. & J. C. WEALE. - CONSTABLE. C. LEWIS HIND. - RAEBURN. JAMES L. CAW. - JOHN S. SARGENT. T. MARTIN WOOD. - LAWRENCE. S. L. BENSUSAN. - DUERER. H. E. A. FURST. - MILLET. PERCY M. TURNER. - WATTEAU. C. LEWIS HIND. - HOGARTH. C. LEWIS HIND. - MURILLO. S. L. BENSUSAN. - WATTS. W. LOFTUS HARE. - INGRES. A. J. FINBERG. - - _Others in Preparation._ - - * * * * * - - - [Illustration: PLATE I.--THE WOOD-CUTTER. Frontispiece - - (In the Louvre) - - An instance of Millet in a less pessimistic mood than we - generally find him. The wood-cutter, pursuing his vocation on a - warm sunny day, full of life and vigour, brings before us the - joyous side of peasant life. We feel that he is happy and - contented, and if his lot is somewhat hard, he has none of those - distracting ambitions which mar the enjoyment in life to all who - fall a prey to them. The wood in the background is a good - example of Millet's powers in this direction.] - - -MILLET - -by - -PERCY M. TURNER - -Illustrated with Eight Reproductions in Colour - - - - - - - -[Illustration: IN SEMPITERNUM.] - -London: T. C. & E. C. Jack -New York: Frederick A. Stokes Co. - - - - -CONTENTS - - - Page - I. Introduction 11 - II. Millet's Early Life 29 - III. The Migration to Paris 41 - IV. The Struggle for Recognition 52 - V. Millet in his Maturity 57 - VI. The Man and his Art 72 - - - - - LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS - - - Plate Page - I. The Wood-Cutter Frontispiece - In the Louvre - - II. The Weed-burner 14 - In the Louvre - - III. The Church at Greville 24 - In the Louvre - - IV. The Gleaners 34 - In the Louvre - - V. The Straw-binders 40 - In the Louvre - - VI. Spring 50 - In the Louvre - - VII. The Sawyers 60 - In the South Kensington Museum - - VIII. The Sheep-fold 70 - In the Glasgow Corporation Art Galleries - - - - -I - -INTRODUCTION - - -Amongst the great painters of peasant life the name of Jean Francois -Millet stands out prominently. A long interval elapsed betwixt the -death of Adrian van Ostade and the birth of Millet, unbroken by a -single name, with the solitary exception of Chardin, of a painter who -grasped the profundity of peasant life. In Holland and Flanders in -the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries we find many painters who, -whilst living the humblest lives themselves, saw in their surroundings -such material for treatment as has handed their names down to -posterity. It is only quite recently that one of the greatest of all, -Pieter Brueghel the Elder, has come to occupy his proper position in -the world of art. Formerly he was looked upon as an eccentric painter, -whose subjects were generally of rather a coarse nature; who, -moreover, contented himself with depicting the droller side of the -village life of his period, and consequently was not to be taken -seriously. Of late years, however, an exhaustive research into his -life and works have revealed him as one of the greatest masters in his -own sphere of any time. The wonderful series of pictures in Vienna, -and the solitary examples scattered about the great collections of -Europe, proclaim him not only a painter, but a philosopher as well. -His peasants, grotesque as they may now appear to us, possess a -fidelity and vigour of handling such as none of his contemporaries -possess. To him, consequently, we must look as the fountain-head of -all peasant painting. His influence was immediately felt in the -Low Countries, and there sprang up that wonderful school of which -Adrian Brouwer, Jan Steen, and Adrian van Ostade are such brilliant -exponents. In their more recent prototype--Millet--the same profound -and sympathetic rendering of the everyday life of the simple peasant -is to be found, tinged with the melancholy fervour of his temperament. -Their temperament bears the same relation to his as the seventeenth -century does to the nineteenth. A more subdued temper had come over -all classes of the community, a less boisterous attitude towards life, -but the struggle for existence was none the less strenuous or -unending. The rollicking and reckless joy of Brouwer's peasants, with -their hard drinking and lusty bawling, was an essential feature of -Dutch life of the period. But they are every whit as precious from an -artistic and historical standpoint as are the placid interiors of -Millet. - - [Illustration: PLATE II.--THE WEED-BURNER - - (In the Louvre) - - A notable example of the simplicity of motive which - characterises Millet's finest works. The treatment of the - peasant figure in the centre of the picture is dominated by - sincerity and sympathy. The half suggested landscape forming the - background is symbolical of man's hard struggle with Nature. The - colour scheme is very subdued, and serves to accentuate the - wonderful outline and natural pose of the woman.] - -During the two centuries which elapsed between these great masters -many changes had come over the lives of European people. The spread of -education, permeating down even to the lowest classes, had tended to -the sobering of habits; and the French peasant, with the partial -uplifting and greater contact through more equitable distribution of -the land which the Revolution had bestowed upon him, was a quieter man -than his Dutch prototype who had preceded him by a couple of -centuries. - -In Millet's rendering of the life he found around him, the same -incisive truth and absorbing sincerity is to be found as in the -Dutchmen with whom I have compared him, and consequently Millet can be -considered as a direct lineal descendant of the mighty Brueghel. - -The entire absence of the Dutchmen's brutality in Millet's work is to -be accounted for, firstly, by the extreme gentleness of his own -disposition; and, secondly, by his study of some of the greatest -masters of the Italian renaissance. His keenness of perception can be -gauged by his enthusiastic appreciation of Andrea Mantegna at a time -when the merits of that master were not understood as they are to-day. -Many of his noblest inspirations were conceived under the Paduan -painter's influence, and one could cite many compositions in which the -train of thought of the two masters seems to run upon parallel lines. - -Upon first regarding a picture of Millet's mature years, one wonders -from whence come those subtleties of line and tone. There is nothing -analogous to them in the works of his contemporaries. The difference -too between his early efforts and those of his later years is -stupendous, but the lines which his development pursued are -essentially due to the simplicity of the life he led and the high -ideal he invariably kept before him. Living, as he always did, a life -of struggle, a never-ending battle against seemingly overwhelming -odds, he was in a position to grasp the sorrows and troubles of the -simple folk by whom he was surrounded. He further saw that work, -although they themselves were not aware of it, alone made life -liveable to them. He shared their struggles in their most intense and -poignant form. In fact when one contemplates the life which Millet -led, both at Greville and at Barbizon, with its strenuousness and -earnestness, faced, moreover, with the ever-present dread of want, it -is to be wondered that he had the courage to live his life as he did. - -It has become the fashion lately to decry certain phases of his art. A -charge of sentimentality is urged against some of his most popular -works. The "Angelus," about which many hard things have lately been -said, is a case in point. It must be remembered that modern life, -particularly as lived in great cities such as London or Paris, does -not tend to foster those simple ideas upon religion, which the -peasant, far removed from great centres of population, implicitly -accepts. He is, as a rule, a man of but little education, who has -heard nothing of the doubts and scepticisms with which townspeople of -every grade of society are so familiar. His ideas on religion are -exactly those which have come to him from his parents, and he is -incapable of doubting the elementary truths he was first taught. Such -simple ideas have departed from even the peasantry in most parts of -France. Only in Brittany and in La Vendee could one to-day encounter -the types Millet has portrayed for us in the "Angelus." - -The two figures in the foreground are symbolical of all that is most -touching in French peasant life. The end of the day has arrived, and -after many hours of unremitting toil, the ringing of the bell in the -distant tower proclaims the finish of another day. The wonderful still -atmosphere which envelops the far-stretching plain, the whole suffused -with the effects of a placid and glorious sunset, lends an intensity -of poetical feeling which harmoniously blends with the placid nature -of the theme. All around us we have evidence of man's perpetual -struggle with nature, the grim fight for subsistence, for life itself. -The ploughed field has yielded many a crop, the reward of arduous -labour expended in sowing and reaping. The small recompense to the -labourer himself is symbolised by the extreme poverty with which the -man and woman are clothed, whilst the degrading nature of the toil, as -in the far famous "Man with the Hoe," is brought before us in the -rugged types of the labourer and his wife. The only softening -influence in their lives is that imparted by religion, and in choosing -this moment of the angelus for depicting them, Millet has brought -before us in the most forcible form not only the degrading character -of much of the toil which is entailed in producing the necessities of -existence, but also the danger of removing by any sudden change, no -matter how well intentioned, the consoling influence of religious -belief. A work into which such intense earnestness and melancholy -truth is infused can never be designated sentimental, except by those -who have not freely grasped the immense import of these qualities in -the production of great and enduring art. Brilliancy of technique and -extraordinary facilities, if unsupported by a determination to convey -some message, will inevitably find its own level, whilst the painter -who possesses this supreme quality will assuredly come into his own. - -It must never be forgotten that in considering the oil paintings of -Millet, the subtleties of atmosphere and line can never be appreciated -if one is not acquainted with the country he painted. No two countries -are alike in atmospheric effect, and it is necessary, therefore, in -order to appreciate an artist to the full, to have studied the country -he has chosen to depict. The outlines of the landscape, the very shape -of the trees, the colour imparted by sunshine and clouds, differ -materially in various districts, and consequently it behoves one to -exercise caution before condemning this or that effect as being untrue -to nature. - -It may safely be said that as a painter, purely and simply, Millet -will never occupy a very high position in the world of art. He never -bursts forth into any of those pyrotechnics which distinguished many -of his contemporaries and some of the painters of our own days. His -manner of handling the brush is always restrained to the point of -timidity. By this I do not mean to imply that he could not paint in a -large and bold manner; indeed on many occasions, as for example in the -"Sawyers," he has attained an astonishing degree of power. But as his -whole thoughts were directed to suppressing any tendencies towards -virtuosity, which might divert attention from the point he wished to -illustrate, he frequently appears to achieve his ends by holding -himself in restraint. - -Another dominant characteristic of Millet's art is that the instant he -throws off his sadly philosophic mood, he is no longer a great artist. -For example, in the well-known picture of "La Baigneuse," he -endeavours to draw himself into depicting the brighter side of life. -In a wood resplendent with the sunlit foliage of a glorious summer -day, a young girl is about to enter the small river which runs -placidly between the moss-covered banks. In the distance a number of -ducks are disporting themselves in the water. Here is a theme which -would appeal irresistibly to a man of the temperament of Diaz; he -could impart the glories of colour as they were reflected from the -mirror-like surface of the water, the shimmering of the trees and the -delicious effect of the balmy breeze as it rustled through the -branches. But in the hands of Millet it is nothing but a sad -composition; the figure is well drawn; the ducks are admirably placed -in the composition, and the trees treated with studious fidelity, but -there is that great indefinable something lacking which attracts us -towards the master when working in a sadder mood. - -Millet can be described as being more a philosopher than a painter. -Not only in his great paintings, which by the way are not very -numerous, but in his drawings and etchings, we discover the mind of a -man who has grappled with, and understood the great problems of life. -Poor as he was, and remained all his life, it is doubtful whether -riches or an improvement in circumstances would have brought him any -increased happiness. He loved the open country, and still more the -solitary peasant whom he found working in the fields, earning a bare -subsistence for himself and his little _menage_ in the neighbouring -village. His interest was divided between the man at his work and his -wife and children in the _menage_. The simplest incidents of their -everyday life did not escape him, and the smallest duty which would -have left unaffected a less observant nature has been made the subject -of many a fine canvas. - - [Illustration: PLATE III.--THE CHURCH AT GREVILLE - - (In the Louvre) - - One of the subtlest landscapes by Millet in existence. It shows - that on occasions he could leave the beaten track and still - remain as great a master as ever. Everybody who knows the - atmosphere of Normandy will appreciate its truth and poetry. The - marvellous results he has achieved with such a simple theme is - worthy of our praise. The whole effect is so natural that we are - apt to forget the keen sense of composition that was needed to - present the subject in such an attractive form.] - -Millet seems particularly to have been impressed with the loneliness -of the peasant's labour. Take, for example, that wonderfully luminous -canvas, "The Sheep Pen." Here, in the midst of a vast plain, a large -space is marked out in which to enclose the sheep for the night. The -sun, sinking low in the horizon, warns the shepherd that the time has -arrived for him to call together his flock and place them in safe -quarters for the night. Accompanied by his faithful dog, he stands at -the opening of the pen allowing the sheep to enter two or three at a -time. There is no other living soul in sight. Alone he has kept guard -over the flock during the long day, with no other company than his dog -and his own thoughts. He is dead to the beauties of the landscape -around him, and sees nothing more in a field than how much corn can be -raised each year from it, or in the sheep he tends so carefully how -much mutton it will make. He feels nothing of the glorious beauties of -the sunset, of which he is so often a witness; how it softens the -lines of the horizon and suffuses the distant woods and plain with its -golden rays. He sees nothing of the changes momentarily occurring in -the sky: how the blues get fainter and fainter, how the clouds are -tinged with opalescent hues, the shadows prolonging themselves as the -orb sinks deeper and deeper; or how, finally, when the sun has -disappeared, the whole heavens are lighted up in one blaze of glory. -Yet Millet would have us understand that in spite of this, the -shepherd is performing a duty to humanity not to be underrated. The -sheep he has so carefully and conscientiously reared will form food -to-morrow for many a hungry town-dweller. Further, he would have us -follow the peasant as he closes the pen for the night and traces his -tired steps towards his simple home in the village. The frugal and -hard-earned meal, prepared for him by his wife, who like himself has -had her share of duties to occupy her during the day, is partaken of -surrounded by a hungry and joyous group of children. Such themes -suggested by the simplicity of his own life appealed to him with -irresistible force, and it is in their portrayal that his greatness is -manifested. - -Perhaps no season of the year presented the same attraction for Millet -as the spring. The period when all the earth after its long winter -sleep is about to waken into new life seems to have always been a -source of inspiration to him. In "The Sower" he emphasises the fact -that the fruits of the harvest are not to be had without due labour -being expended upon the earth. The sloping field, barren of -vegetation, and crowned at the top with a small clump of trees, is -being broken up by the distant plough drawn by two horses and guided -by a peasant. The latter figure is one of the noblest of Millet's -creations. By his strained and ever-attentive attitude, by his -continuous tramp over the rough and broken ground, he shows us the -monotony of his toil. He crosses the field in one direction, only to -return at an interval of a few feet. In the foreground we have the -sower, a middle-aged man of typical peasant type, on whose left side a -bag of seeds is slung. With automatic precision he withdraws a -handful, and strews it into the furrows open to receive it. So long as -he continues in the same track his labour will be well performed, and -hence his task is just as monotonous as that of his fellow-worker -higher up in the field. The silhouetting of these two figures against -the light is symbolical of the labour to be expended in life before -results are forthcoming. - -From these remarks it will be seen that in considering the works of -Millet, one must not judge him from the standpoint of a mere painter. -His brush is only the means to an end, and by its means he is enabled -to bring the fruits of his philosophic observation before us in -permanent form. It has been charged against the "Angelus" that it was -not a remarkably fine piece of painting, that many a young artist of -the present generation is infinitely better equipped, technically -speaking, than the master who wrought this celebrated canvas. This may -in a measure be true, but it must never be forgotten that Millet -brought into play exactly the means which could illustrate his meaning -in the clearest terms. He had not intended, in painting such a -picture, to produce a work which would astonish his fellow artists -with its brilliancy of handling or magnificence of colour. He wanted -to make the beholder forget the painter and absorb the lesson. This -quality runs right through the art of Millet, and it is from this -standpoint that we are obliged to weigh his merits. - - - - -II - -MILLET'S EARLY LIFE - - -Jean Francois Millet was born on October 4, 1814, that is at the -period when French art, at any rate as far as landscape painting is -concerned, had reached its lowest ebb. Throughout the eighteenth -century the landscape painter had been hard put to make a living. The -taste of connoisseurs throughout the century had been for portraits -and interiors, or for those numerous pastoral subjects which were -carried out with so much decorative charm by such men as Watteau and -Boucher. Such landscape painting as existed was of the type -popularised by Vernet; it was built upon a curious mixture of Italian -influence coming from Panini and Salvator Rosa. The only evidence of -revolt against such a state of affairs we find in the works of Hubert -Robert and Moreau. These two, and more especially would I direct the -reader's attention to the latter, struggled hard to break down the -conventionalities of the time. They endeavoured to infuse some sense -of atmosphere into their pictures, and whilst frequently their trees -and figures are painfully formal, they yet stand alone in the French -school as the pioneers of a phase of art which was to attain its -zenith in the middle of the nineteenth century. - -But after the Revolution, and during the whole of the time that France -was under the domination of Napoleon, very rigid principles indeed -were enforced with regard to the direction that art should take. The -innovation which had its commencement in the reign of Louis XVI. swept -everything before it as it gained force. Classical art and traditions -dominated the whole French school, and no artist, however great his -reputation, attempted for many years to swim against the stream. In -spite of the principles of liberty and equality which were claimed for -all under the new _regime_, a terribly strict eye was kept upon any -innovations which might break out in the form of a naturalistic art. -The directors of this new movement failed to see that the conditions -which had produced the great Greek and Roman sculptors had passed -away, and that the latter's supremacy was due to the fact that their -productions were symbolical of the loftiest thoughts of their own -epoch. The art which expresses the ambitions and noblest thoughts of -its time will alone endure. These expressions are not applicable to -any other condition than those which called them forth, and hence in -attempting to purify the rococo which had existed up to the middle of -the eighteenth century, by a return to classical traditions, they were -only copying that which their predecessors had done, and in so doing -left us without any original expression of their own time. - -Into such a condition of affairs was Millet born, and he was numbered -amongst that little band of men which included Rousseau, Corot, Dupre, -Diaz, and Daumier, who were to lay the foundations of the modern -naturalistic school. At the outset it was seemingly a hopeless -struggle they undertook; a struggle against prejudice and influence -which was only to be brought to a victorious culmination after years -of struggle and disappointment. Of this little band, Millet was -perhaps the best equipped for the privations which were necessary. He -came of a peasant stock who inhabited Gruchy, a small village -situated in the commune of Greville, close to Cherbourg. Grouped -underneath the humble roof was the grandmother, who had been left a -widow fifteen years before; her son, Jean Louis Nicolas Millet, and -his wife and eight children, of which our artist was the second. His -grandmother appears to have been a pious old lady, whose chief delight -was in her grandchildren, to whom she taught those religious -principles which stood them in good stead in after life. We are told -that Millet's father possessed a force of character one does not often -find amongst men in his rank of life. He was of a contemplative -disposition, and had a keenly developed feeling for natural beauty. He -possessed moreover a keen appreciation of music, which unfortunately -he does not appear to have had much opportunity of cultivating. His -wife was an excellent housewife and of a religious turn of mind. The -house they occupied, situated quite a short distance from the sea, was -placed in a tract of country which, whilst it had rugged and -picturesque features, was not of a nature which would yield -extraordinary results under cultivation. It was, therefore, a hard -struggle for existence which Millet in his first years saw going -on around him. Not that the family were any the less happy for having -to work laboriously for their livelihood. They had been brought up -amidst such surroundings; their wants were simple and easily -gratified, and the tranquillity of the _menage_ more than -counterbalanced those doubtful luxuries which easier circumstances -would have brought their way. Throughout his life Millet maintained -the extreme simplicity he had seen practised in the home of his -childhood, and long years afterwards he was accustomed to look back -with pleasureable memories upon his early years. - - [Illustration: PLATE IV.--THE GLEANERS - - (In the Louvre) - - One of the most popular pictures of the master, and by many - considered his masterpiece. We know that this work involved an - unusually large amount of thought and work on the part of the - artist. Separate studies exist of all the figures in many - different poses. Not the least wonderful part is the background, - with its crowd of harvesters, enveloped in the golden sunlight - of a warm summer afternoon. "The Gleaners" is one of the best - preserved of the large canvases of Millet.] - -Gruchy, situated in one of the wildest parts of Normandy, feels the -full effect of every storm which blows up from the Atlantic. There is -nothing to shelter the exposed hamlets studded along the coast from -the fury of the western gale, and the rocks are but too often strewn -with the wrecks of vessels which have come to grief in that terrible -sea. Millet in his youth must have witnessed many of these -catastrophes. Quite a number of drawings by him are extant -representing succour being extended to some vessel in difficulties, or -the hauling up of some wreckage on to the rocks. The studious boy -must have been impressed as he saw the sternness of the combat in his -native country between men and nature; the wind-swept fields, and -hills bare to the point of savageness. The very trees themselves -dwarfed and gnarled; in their struggle with the elements they have -been made tough and hardy as the inhabitants of the country -themselves, and, stunted as they are, yet show well that they can -resist the force of the fiercest storm. The brooding and contemplative -character of the father having descended to the son, we can quite -imagine the effect such surroundings would have upon him. As he looked -back in after years upon his roamings in his native country, he -appreciated the awe-inspiring character of the scenery in which he had -been born. He would doubtless recall many a walk amidst the fields -with the wind blowing in his face as it rushed in from the Atlantic, -the rain beating hard upon the freshly ploughed fields, and the -distant figure of the ploughman struggling hard with his team against -the stiff sou'wester. The great mass of vapour overhead whirled before -the violence of the storm, casting grey and pearly light over the -whole scene, whilst far away on the top of the hill a clump of trees, -bent with their resistance to the wind, are silhouetted against the -sky. Many a drawing of this kind we encounter in the later work of -Millet, which shows how his thoughts harked back in certain moments to -the scenes he had left behind him for ever. - -We know that on one or two occasions he returned to Gruchy. Once or -twice he had urgent business which took him back, but sometimes he -went with no other purpose than to renew acquaintance with the scenes -of yore. - -Little Jean Francois was his grandmother's favourite. It was she who -taught him the names of things which surrounded him, and perhaps -directed his thoughts in the channels to which they were finally to be -devoted. Her brother Charles, who formed one of the family, used to -take him for walks, telling him stories on the way. Millet was -devotedly attached to this old man, and when at the age of seven years -he lost him, the gap in his life thus left made an impression upon his -memory never to be effaced. - -Five years afterwards he was placed in the hands of the vicar for the -purpose of preparing him for his first communion. The good man seems -to have been taken with the child; he found him so attentive to all -natural phenomenon which was passing around him and intelligent in an -unusual degree. He quickly learnt a considerable amount of Latin, -which introduced him to the great classics. Unfortunately for Millet, -the vicar accepted an offer of transference to a better parish in the -vicinity. The boy had made such progress with his master that it was -decided that he should go with him to his new abode. He was, however, -so missed in his own home, that when he came back for his first -holidays it was decided that he should not return. - -He now gave serious attention to the agricultural pursuits of his -father. He threw himself heartily into the work of the farm, and -assisted in the work of sowing and harvesting, of pruning and -thrashing according to the season. His spare time was occupied in -reading with avidity various masterpieces of literature. The authors -he found at hand were such as Fenelon and Bossuet, but he developed a -decided preference, which lasted till the end of his life, for Virgil -and the Bible. - -It was at this time that his taste for art began to be developed. -He drew the objects he found around him, and soon acquired sufficient -confidence in his skill to execute a large drawing representing two -shepherds keeping guard over their sheep. These first efforts date -from about his seventeenth year, and foretell the advent of the style -in which he was later to become pre-eminent. - - [Illustration: PLATE V.--THE STRAW-BINDERS - - (In the Louvre) - - The wonderful capacity of Millet for portraying action is - demonstrated to the full in this canvas. Hard, unremitting toil - is the theme Millet has wished to bring before us. The heat is - intense, but the work goes on with unrelaxing vigour. The - masculine energy of the two bending figures are in striking - contrast with the figure of the young girl on the left of the - picture. The artist shows that he was quite capable of infusing - charm into his peasant studies as well as bringing the - brutalising aspect of their labour before the spectator.] - - - - -III - -THE MIGRATION TO PARIS - - -How frequently has it happened that the first years in the life of a -genius have been employed in labour quite different from that to which -they should have been directed. Such a state of affairs the more often -occurs when the sense of duty has been strong enough to overcome -temporarily the inclination to pursue the natural bent. In the case of -Millet, however, the early years which he devoted to the farm and its -pursuits were by no means wasted. It is on record that he became very -proficient in the various duties in which he was engaged, but at the -same time we can be quite sure that his extraordinary faculties of -observation were constantly being brought into play, and the fruits of -his observations are to be seen in the pictures of his mature period. - -A considerable portion of his spare time was taken up with drawing, -not only the persons and objects he found around him, but also -subjects suggested to him by the books he was in the habit of reading. -His family, so far from throwing any obstacles in his way, encouraged -him. In fact it was his father who took him first to Cherbourg in -order to show a painter of that town, named Mouchel, the early -products of his son's genius. The decision at which Millet _pere_ had -arrived was prompted by a drawing in charcoal of an old peasant -walking along the road, which had struck him forcibly as being a work -of extraordinary merit. It says much for Mouchel's breadth of mind -that he was equally impressed with the drawings. A man who had been -brought up in the school of David, and who had lived in one of the -most reactionary periods of French art, was hardly to be expected to -take kindly to a style so diametrically opposed to all the traditions -into which he himself had been inculcated; certainly the young -Millet, who had now arrived at the age of eighteen, had not developed -the extraordinary freedom which his works of ten years later -demonstrate. But there was sufficient originality even in his early -drawings to call forth condemnation from a man who had been so -saturated with the teaching of David. - -He prevailed upon Millet to leave his son with him, and set him to -work to copy many well-known works of art which he brought before his -pupil by means of engravings. Two months were spent in this way when -news reached Millet that his father had been seized with sudden -illness, and he was obliged in the circumstances to return to -Greville. He arrived to find the old man unconscious, and very shortly -afterwards he died. - -This misfortune awoke in Millet a sense of duty which compelled him to -desert his studies in Cherbourg and superintend the management of the -farm. For some time he devoted himself entirely to his new duties, but -the struggle betwixt duty and genius continued; he gave himself to his -work with all the energy at his disposal, but his thoughts were ever -wandering to his art. - -Added to his own inclinations, his grandmother, who perceived his -extraordinary gifts, strongly persuaded him to devote his attention -entirely to art, and consequently after some little time he decided to -return to Cherbourg. Here he entered the studio of M. Langlois, an -artist whose reputation in the town was considerable. Again in this -worthy man he came in contact with a painter who had been brought up -entirely under classical influence. Langlois, who had in his early -days been a pupil of Gros, had absorbed the classical tradition to -such an extent as to be incapable of appreciating any other style. He -appears to have endeavoured to mould Millet in his own method rather -than develop the latent genius which the latter possessed. The -incompatibility of these two men speedily caused the younger to strike -out in his own way. He saw more good in frequenting the museums and -making copies of such works as appealed to him than in listening to -the advice of his teacher. All this occurred, however, without any -breach of friendship occurring. On the contrary, Langlois, after -perceiving the futility of inducing his pupil to follow in his -footsteps, did all he could to advance his interests. - -By means of his influence some of Millet's drawings were brought -before the Municipal Council, and Langlois suggested that Millet -should be sent to Paris in order to further his development, and that -the Council should set aside a modest pension to meet his requirements -in that city. The discussion appears to have been very prolonged, and -upon the question being put to a vote it was only carried by means of -the casting vote of the mayor. Four hundred francs was at first -allotted to him in this way, which was further increased shortly -afterwards to six hundred. Such encouragement, meagre though it was, -was sufficient to give him a foothold in the metropolis. He left -Cherbourg in January 1837, on a cold and raw day, the snow falling -heavily throughout the entire journey, and arrived in Paris in a very -disheartened condition. The miserable weather, coupled with the long -journey in which he had had time to think of the small sum which lay -between him and starvation, going to a city which he had never seen -before, had all served to work upon his nerves, and he entered the -great city sick at heart and very despondent. - -One of the first visits he made after he was somewhat settled down in -Paris was to the Louvre. Here he was brought into contact for the -first time with many masters, who were to mould his yet plastic -temperament into the form which enabled him to give to the world, in -later years, so many masterpieces. As I have said before, it was -Mantegna who first captivated him, and the influence of the mighty -Paduan was never finally to be shaken off. Michel Angelo awed him with -his sublimity; his classical severity tempered with intense humanism, -his masculine strength, were bound to have their effect upon so -serious a character as Millet. Strange as it may seem to those who are -but superficially acquainted with his art, and are only too apt to -judge him by the influence he has had upon modern French painting, he -was fascinated with the antique. The traditions of Phidias and -Praxiteles, in the form in which they had been transmitted through the -greatest minds of the Renaissance, were ever the factors which guided -him throughout his career. It was this same spirit which impelled his -fervid admiration for Nicolas Poussin, a master who to-day is sadly -underrated and but little understood. It was the mysteries of line, -the wonders of pose and composition rather than the magic of colour -which appealed to him. He had a profound admiration for the glowing -canvases of Titian and Rubens, but he could never overlook entirely -their defects of drawing or, in the case of Rubens, the tendency to -vulgarity. From his remarks in after years it would appear that he was -baffled with the mysticisms of Velazquez and Rembrandt; pure painting -itself could never hold him. He needed to grasp the message which lay -behind it before he felt fully taken into the confidence of the -painter; and as the minds of the Dutchman and the Spaniard ran in -quite different channels to his own, they spoke with a language he -never understood. That he had a perceptive and critically independent -mind may be gauged from his enthusiasm for Delacroix, whose work he -encountered for the first time at the Luxembourg. - -During this period of study he was carefully considering under what -master he should place himself. His choice unhappily fell upon -Delaroche. To any one acquainted with the work of the latter master, -a more unsuitable selection could not have been made. Delaroche and -the painters who surrounded him can be appropriately described as -constituting the back-wash of the Empire style, which had reached its -climax with David. His subjects were always treated with academic -reserve. No pyrotechnics were permitted; on the contrary, an -everlasting and mistaken striving for finish was encouraged: -originality was sternly suppressed. To paint human life as it really -was, was too vulgar for any of the painters of this time. They held -the public taste enslaved for years. An innovator such as Millet was -destined to become found his position almost untenable. The band of -critics and painters formed a monopoly which it seemed almost -impossible to break down, and it was only after years of bitter and -determined struggle that the school of nature finally routed its -opponent. - -Delaroche doubtlessly found the peasant painter a little rude both in -his person and in his ideas about art. He paid but little attention to -the young man who had placed himself in his hands, and devoted all his -time to students who were more amenable to his influence. A -temperament so sensitive as Millet's was bound to notice this -neglect, and consequently after a time he became so discouraged that -he ceased to frequent Delaroche's studio. Another very good reason for -this action was the lack of resources to continue his payments. Even -during the time he had been with Delaroche he lost no opportunity of -turning a few honest francs by painting the portraits of any who could -be got to sit to him. Delaroche, however, had a more kindly heart than -Millet imagined. He seems to have found out the real distress of the -young artist, and to have assisted him pecuniarily in many ways, and -there is no doubt that he appreciated the talent of the young Norman -much more than he cared to own. Many of his remarks on record would -serve to show that Delaroche already felt that his pupil was destined -to be one of the leaders of the movement which was finally to -overthrow his own style, and doubtlessly felt a great admiration for a -man who had the courage and strength to swim against rather than with -the current. - - [Illustration: PLATE VI.--SPRING - - (In the Louvre) - - It is probable that Millet wished this picture to be regarded - rather as a symbolical representation of Spring, than as an - actual study from Nature. The storm that has just passed over - has been severe, but of short duration. The sun, breaking - through the dense banks of clouds, reveals the splendours of the - water-sodden landscape; the apple-trees full of bloom, the - verdantly green grass, the young foliage on the distant trees, - all reveal the benefit they have received from the downpour.] - - - - -IV - -THE STRUGGLE FOR RECOGNITION - - -Freed from all encumbrances save poverty, Millet was now to work out -his own destiny according to the dictates of his genius. He joined a -friend named Marolle, and the two together occupying a very small -apartment endeavoured to eke out an existence. It was only too soon -apparent that young as he was, and the taste of the public being not -yet ready for development upon the lines his genius directed him, that -his livelihood could not be secured by endeavouring to sell such -subjects as appealed to him. In these straits he turned to -portrait-painting, just as many great painters before and since him -have done. That the struggle was very keen can well be imagined by the -fact that he was unable to obtain more than five to ten francs apiece; -and, as commissions were very scarce, he was hard put to gain the -means of subsistence. This state of affairs lasted until 1840, in -which year he endeavoured to obtain admission to the Salon with two -portraits, one of which was that of his friend. This, however, was -rejected, and the other picture, although accepted, was unnoticed by -either the critics or the public. - -Having occasion the next year to pay a visit to Cherbourg, he felt -obliged to report himself to the Municipal Council who had had the -generosity to send him in the first place to Paris. Its worthy members -expressed themselves as but little satisfied with the result of their -investment; they claimed that they had had as yet but little to show -for their money, and they suggested, partly as a means of -demonstrating that they had had some little return, and also, in order -to see of what stuff their _protege_ was made, that he should paint a -portrait of the recently deceased mayor. As Millet had not been -personally acquainted with that worthy citizen, and as the only guide -which could be supplied him was a portrait made in miniature when he -was a young man of some twenty-three or twenty-four years of age, the -task was by no means easy. However, the artist set to work with a -will, and finally accomplished the picture to his own satisfaction. -Upon it being shown to the Council, one and all declared, as any one -with the slightest knowledge of such matters could have told them -before it was commenced, that it bore not the least resemblance to the -defunct magistrate. They therefore demurred at the three hundred -francs they had agreed to pay him for the portrait, and offered him -one-third of that amount instead. Millet was deeply offended by the -insult, and informed the Council that he made them a present of the -picture. - -It was during this short visit to his native country that he met his -first wife, a Mlle. Ono, whose portrait he had painted. From the first -she was very delicate, and he lost her after much suffering, three -years later. His second wife was Mlle. Catherine Lemaire, who was -destined to be the companion of his struggles until the end of his -life. - -Meanwhile Millet was occupied with subjects which he thought would -appeal to the general public. A number of classical pictures date from -this epoch. It was an endeavour on his part to fall in as far as -possible with the current taste, and so supply means of subsistence -for his family. At the same time he did not neglect his favourite -subjects, and many are the wonderful studies of peasant life which -date from these years. His reputation had so far advanced that he was -offered the position of teacher of drawing in the college at -Cherbourg. It must have been only after prolonged deliberation that he -refused the proffered post. Here a certain annual stipend was assured -him, and if it was not large in itself it would at any rate suffice to -keep the wolf from the door. He preferred, however, to return to Paris -and work out his own destiny as best he might. - -Millet, who lived at this time in the Rue Rochechouart, began to -surround himself with that little group of friends who remained -faithful to him until the end of his career. Amongst the earliest were -Charles Jacque and Diaz: the latter had several clients amongst the -small dealers, whom he induced to visit Millet's studio and make now -and again a small purchase. - -Millet now became a fairly regular contributor to the Salon, but -generally sent some classical or religious picture as well as one of -his peasant subjects. For example, in 1848 he sent the marvellous -study of "The Winnower," which we all know so well, accompanied by a -canvas, "The Captivity of the Jews at Babylon." The latter, however, -was so badly received that he utilised the canvas upon its return for -a large picture of a "Shepherdess tending her Sheep." - -In spite of the headway that he was making, the struggle for existence -seemed keener than ever, and but for the kindness of friends he and -his family would frequently have actually wanted for food. A timely -advance of one hundred francs obtained for him from the Minister of -Fine Arts, together with a commission from the State, for which he was -paid the sum of eighteen hundred francs, were for some time the only -relief he obtained from his embarrassments. That he was not particular -as to how he earned his daily bread is apparent from the fact that he -did not despise an order for a shop sign for a midwife, for which he -was paid the miserable amount of thirty francs. - -The year 1848 was not an encouraging one for a painter who was -standing on the threshold of his career. The whole of Europe was -seething with revolution. A repetition of the fearful year of 1792 was -everywhere expected. The struggle betwixt reaction and property on the -one hand, and lawlessness and revolution on the other, was being waged -with grim determination. The issue was for long in the balance. One -never knew from one day to another what was going to happen. In such a -deplorable state of affairs men's minds were running on politics and -wars rather than upon art. Millet amongst the rest was called upon to -shoulder the musket, and it can be easily imagined with what -reluctance he did so. - -Paris, the great centre of art, had yet not afforded him much -encouragement. Life was dear in the big city, and surrounded on all -sides by bricks and mortar he was not free to go out into the fields -and study the objects which were uppermost in his mind. He resolved to -escape from it, and once having put the plan into execution he never -returned. - - - - -V - -MILLET IN HIS MATURITY - - -The Barbizon of 1850 was a very different place from the Barbizon of -to-day. The world fame of the men who passed a quiet and strenuous -existence in the little village has transformed it into a tourist -resort, with restaurants and cafes, the stopping-places for -waggonettes which in summer bring their daily load of sightseers, -eager to see the homes of the painters whose names are now household -words. - -It would have been well-nigh impossible for the little band to have -chosen a more suitable spot for their labours. Rousseau and Millet, -much as they were drawn towards each other by the tie of a sympathetic -disposition and by their common interest in art, yet were widely -dissimilar from one another in their outlook upon art and their -methods of worship at the common shrine. Rousseau--one can see it from -every picture he painted--loved with all the yearning of a passionate -and restless temperament the inanimate in Nature. Observe with what -fidelity he draws his trees, with what caressing tenderness his clouds -and skies are treated; solitude appealed to him above all things, and -if here and there he was obliged to insert a few figures to complete -his composition, one instinctively feels that he would rather have -substituted a group of cattle or a flock of sheep. In the glades of -the forest, far from the busy haunts of men, with the glorious -sunlight penetrating from above, the breeze moaning through the -branches, he was happy. A wild and turbulent temperament such as his -not infrequently discovers exquisite enjoyment amidst such perfect -tranquillity. - - [Illustration: PLATE VII.--THE SAWYERS - - (In the South Kensington Museum) - - Very few of Millet's works can rival this superb picture in - vigour of handling and magic of line. He has succeeded in - infusing an enormous amount of energy into the two figures, - without sacrificing refinement. The absolute stillness of the - wood beyond is unbroken, save by the monotonous hacking of the - wood-cutter, who, axe in hand, is making a determined onslaught - upon a venerable tree. As an example of Millet's powers as a - painter it would be hard to beat, and in it he has preserved - those rare qualities of freedom and rhythm of line we find in - his best drawings.] - -Barbizon, situated on the fringe of the great forest of Fontainebleau, -therefore, permitted Rousseau to come into daily contact with the -scenes which so appealed to him. - -Millet, on the other hand, was absorbed in the peasant. The man who -tilled the soil and raised the produce humanity requires for its -subsistence by the sweat of his brow; the manifold duties of the -labourer, his life and sorrows, appealed to him with irresistible -force. An unpeopled track of wild and uncultivated land would not call -forth any emotion in him, no matter how sublime the scenery might be. -The life of the village, spreading itself into the vast and fertile -plain behind, held him absorbed; a peasant himself and living amongst -the people he so loved, he was in a position to bring before an -unthinking world the poignant monotony of their useful lives. - -Upon their first arrival at Barbizon, the two artists put up at a -small inn, working all day in a tiny place they had rented from some -peasants and fitted up as a studio. The inconveniences of this -arrangement were soon apparent, and shortly afterwards Millet took a -small house which was destined to be his abode for the remainder of -his life; an old barn in the immediate vicinity meanwhile provided him -with an excellent studio. - -From this period onward we must date the greatest productions of the -master, the works which have induced more thought than those of any -other peasant painter. A peasant among peasants, his life was of the -most rigid simplicity. Behind his little abode a large garden -stretched away almost to the fringe of the forest itself, and here he -was accustomed to work every morning, growing a portion of the food -necessary to the sustenance of his family. The afternoon he devoted to -painting, whilst the evening was given over to intercourse with his -little circle of friends. The simplicity and tranquillity of his life -aroused the whole of his powers to action, and surrounded with -everything he valued in life he was supremely happy. - -The country around Barbizon appealed to him irresistibly. The -timber-studded plains, the gently undulating, highly cultivated -fields, presented a strange contrast to the wild and rugged country -amidst which he had spent his childhood, and no doubt conduced to the -development of a more refined and contemplative style than he would -otherwise have acquired. Upon his few visits to his native country he -appears to have been more impressed than ever with its austerity, and -the drawings which these journeys called forth bore ample evidence of -this feeling in him. - -Lack of the necessary funds to carry on even his simple _menage_ was -ever the bane of Millet's life. On many occasions Sensier, his -intimate friend and afterwards his biographer, informs us he dissuaded -him from suicide. - -The sums that he owed, small though they were, rendered him in -constant fear of the brokers. With creditors so importunate in their -demands for satisfaction, and with the constant lack of recognition, -which was his lot, it is astonishing that Millet achieved so much. He -was relieved more than once by the kind-hearted and ever faithful -Rousseau, who when his friend was sorest pressed found some delicately -hidden means to relieve him. It was he who acquired for 4000 francs -the wonderful "Peasant grafting a Tree," when the picture failed to -find a purchaser; and in order that Millet should not be aware of his -generosity, he made the offer in the name of an imaginary American. -This sort of goodness he repeated more than once, and it redounds -still more to his credit when we remember that Rousseau himself was -not infrequently in pecuniary difficulties. - -A constant succession of important works made their appearance during -the first ten years Millet spent at Barbizon. The first was the -well-known "Sower," which has ever been one of the most popular of his -pictures. Then came the far finer "Peasants going to Work," which for -many years was in an English Collection. The "Gleaners," perhaps the -noblest canvas the master ever painted, dates from 1857, in which year -it was seen at the Salon; the celebrated "Angelus" followed it two -years later. The prices which Millet obtained for this series of -remarkable works was fantastically small. The "Gleaners" brought him a -paltry 2000 francs, whilst he accounted himself lucky to encounter an -amateur who gave him the same sum for the small "Woman feeding Fowls." -The "Angelus," which was never exhibited, was sold in the year it was -painted to a Monsieur Feydeau, an architect, for 1800 francs. It then -passed through several hands before the late Monsieur Secretan -competed up to 160,000 francs before he became possessed of the prize -at the John Wilson sale. - -The purchase, however, proved a sound investment, for upon the -dispersal of his collection it was knocked down for 553,000 francs to -a Monsieur Proust, acting on behalf of the French Government. The -latter, however, when they gave the commission to buy the picture, had -no idea that such a high value would be placed upon it, and -consequently refused to ratify the sale; a syndicate now came upon the -scene, who took it to America. The price, however, proved greater than -even the millionaires of the States were prepared to give, and the -canvas again returned to France, where it found a resting-place in the -collection of Monsieur Chauchard, who paid the enormous sum of 800,000 -francs for its possession. - -In 1859 Millet sent two works to the Salon, a "Woman grazing her Cow," -and "Death and the Woodman." The latter, one of the most -philosophical of Millet's pictures, which to-day is the principal -attraction of the Jacobsen Museum at Copenhagen, was rejected. -Disappointments of this kind came with such systematic regularity to -the painter that he must have become proof against them. He always had -bitter enemies amongst the critics, who never failed to pour abuse -upon his method and his subjects. Even a number of his fellow artists -joined in the chorus of disapproval. But the vehemence with which he -was attacked was striking evidence of the impression he was making and -the inward sense of his own powers; and the fact that he was working -out his destiny according to the dictates of his own genius supported -him against this outpouring of prejudice and malice. The social side -of life appealed to him more strongly as the years rolled on, and the -murmurings which had been heard in 1859 as to the socialistic -tendencies of "Death and the Woodman" swelled to a roar when the -stupendous "Man with the Hoe" was exhibited fourteen years later. The -latter, one of the most virile studies of depraved humanity which the -world has ever seen, has always been a favourite with social -reformers, and has inspired one remarkable poem. Even his most -implacable critics were disarmed before this canvas; its power was -magnetic; it was an inspiration, soul moving and trenchant. - -His financial difficulties never completely dispersed. At one time, in -order to insure himself a little tranquillity, he made a contract with -two speculators, whereby they were to become possessors of all the -work he produced for three years, in consideration of their assuring -him a thousand francs a month. A great number of Millet's finest -productions passed thus through their hands, including the "Return -from the Fields" and the "Man with the Hoe." The partners were not -long in quarrelling, and after a lawsuit had been fought, Millet was -left in the hands of a man who frequently would not or could not pay -him in ready money, and whose bills he was frequently forced to -discount at considerable loss. - -One little gleam of sunshine rendered his later days happy. This was a -commission from a Colmar banker, Monsieur Thomas by name, who required -four allegorical compositions representing the Seasons, to decorate -his rooms. The artist was overjoyed by this piece of good fortune, -and immediately commenced a most conscientious study of such mural -decoration as was within reach, in order that he might do full justice -to his patron. He paid frequent visits to Fontainebleau and the -Louvre, and even desired a friend to inquire if he could not obtain -reproductions of the frescoes at Herculaneum and Pompeii. In spite of -all this elaborate preparation, the subjects were not such as appealed -to his genius, and in spite of them being well and soundly painted, we -are told that they presented no features which called for special -comment. - -He found, however, a much more genial occupation in accomplishing a -series of drawings ordered by a Monsieur Gavet, who paid the artist -1000, 700, and 450 francs each, according to their size. He made -altogether ninety-five drawings in this way, and it is said that this -gentleman had in his possession the finest work in black and white and -water-colour the artist ever executed. - -Towards the latter end of his life the death of dear relatives and -friends cast a sorrowful gloom over him. Amongst the latter Rousseau, -who expired in his presence on the 22nd of December 1867, was -perhaps the loss which seemed to him hardest to bear. A staunch and -trusty friend, who was to be relied upon when his prospects seemed the -most hopeless, he had been one of the very few who had appreciated -Millet's talents at their full worth, and who, moreover, scanty as his -own means were, was ever ready to stretch out his hand to assist his -struggling friend. - - [Illustration: PLATE VIII.-THE SHEEP-FOLD - - (In the Glasgow Corporation Art Galleries) - - The poetry of moonlight has never been better realised than by - Millet. The lonely watch of the shepherd, the huddling together - of the sheep, the dreary mystical plain stretching away to the - horizon, losing itself finally in the vaporous atmosphere of the - chilly night, are all rendered with astonishing fidelity. It is - in such works as these that the master reveals his sympathy with - the solitude of many phases of peasant life.] - -Shortly afterwards Millet paid a visit to his patron, Herr Hartmann, -at Muenster, and from here he went for a short time into Switzerland. -Upon his return he devoted himself with great earnestness to work, and -achieved a certain success at the Salons with his exhibits. The -outbreak of the war with Germany caused him to migrate with his family -to Cherbourg, where he thought he might continue to work, removed as -far as possible from the scenes of carnage and struggle which were -going on farther east. Transported once more amongst the scenes of his -childhood, he felt an increased impetus to production, and when he -returned to Barbizon late in 1871, he brought with him a number of -canvases of the highest quality; conspicuous amongst them was the -wonderful "Greville Church," now in the Louvre. - -The anxieties of his troublous life were, however, beginning to show -their effect upon his constitution; a persistent cough developed, and -although an amelioration would occasionally occur, it was always -succeeded by a worse condition than before. His health suffered a -general decline, and he finally breathed his last on the 20th of -January 1875. He was buried in the little cemetery of Chailly, beside -his friend Rousseau, amidst the scenery they both loved so well. - - - - -VI - -THE MAN AND HIS ART - - -Millet is an instance of an artist working out his own destiny, -impelled by irresistible genius, in the teeth of seemingly -insurmountable obstacles. He started life with enormous disadvantages; -without friends in influential circles to spread his fame or plead his -cause; without money to enable him to outlive and triumph over the -ignorant fanaticism of critics and artists, so soaked in the -conventionalised art of their time that they had not perception enough -to appreciate the full meaning of that naturalistic movement, which -was finally to sweep away the quasi-classic art they boasted of with -such bombastic effusion. The path was hard and thorny, and his triumph -was not finally consummated until after his death. He himself found -his only satisfaction in the fact that he had lived his life according -to the dictates of his genius, and had achieved the maximum of which -he was capable. - -Millet and our own Cotman were somewhat kindred spirits; there is much -more affinity between the work of the two men than is apparent to any -one who has not closely studied them. The marvellous "Breaking the -Clod," now happily permanently housed at the British Museum, betrays -the same tremendous conception and broad outlook which characterises -many a drawing of Millet's. Both highly strung to a painful extent, -they were each conscious of their inability to curb the power which -prescribed a certain course for them, and in spite of pecuniary -difficulties and unpopularity, an inevitable result of their intense -originality, they pursued a steady course to the end of their lives. - -The socialistic doctrines which have been read into the work of Millet -are rather the outcome of the world's uneasy conscience being brought -face to face with a crushing indictment of existing conditions, than -of any design on the artist's part to further the cause of a political -propaganda by means of his art. This somewhat extravagant reading into -his art has certainly been carried to excess. Particularly has such -been the case in America, where a large number of his finest works are -at present to be found, curiously enough in the hands of enormously -wealthy people, who are frequently perhaps the least able to -understand the real meaning of his message. - -Coming from a peasant stock, his sympathies were always with the -peasant; it was the only class he understood or cared for. He lived as -one of them, and shared to a large extent in their labour. He has been -designated, not inappropriately, the philosopher in sabots. Rightly or -wrongly he has come to be looked upon as one of the high priests of -communistic doctrines. Few pictures have been so anathematised as the -"Man with the Hoe," and perhaps none have done more to inculcate -sympathy with the degradation of the lower orders of the human race. -The revolting brutality and vacancy of that face haunts the -imagination. Is it possible that fellow-creatures so utterly debased -by toil and neglect exist? Millet dispels any doubt upon the question -by bequeathing to humanity this trenchant portrait. By no means -limited to Barbizon or France, these poor creatures exist in every -country, and curiously enough are considered an essential element in -each country's development. - -This poignantly human note is observable in almost every work Millet -wrought; his passionate sympathy with his fellow-man is the keynote of -his art. The wood-cutter in his arduous toil, the shepherd in his -solitariness, the labourer turning the soil with unvarying and -laborious monotony, the mother caring for her children--all carry the -same message for him of that strange and incomprehensible mingling of -joy and sadness we call life. Like many great minds before and since -his time, our artist found the greatest joy in life in a placid and -never changing melancholy. But the peasants he chose knew nothing of -the sadness he saw in them. Completely inured to their toil, and -subdued by it, with no refining or uplifting influence to stimulate -them, they knew nothing, aspired to nothing beyond what they were; it -was left to Millet to supply the "might have been." He saw the inky -blackness of the mind of the "Man with the Hoe," the pathetic -inequality between the mounted farmer directing the safe storage of -his crop, and the stooping figures of the "Gleaners" eager to scrape -up the miserable crumbs which had fallen from the rich man's table. He -traced the lives of these simple folk until we arrive at the grim and -gaunt figure of Death, who, as he grasps the woodman by the shoulder, -reminds him that his course is finished and that he, in common with -all his fellow-men, must enter the great unknown land from which there -is no return. It is a sad and melancholy art, vibrating with purity -and truth, the outpouring of a great soul yearning to express itself -to the utmost of its power. The mind and character of the man can be -read in every line and in every touch of the brush. His drawings and -etchings are even more searching in their virility than his pictures. -There is a spontaneousness about them we search for in vain in his -work in oil and pastel. In black and white his intensely emotional -mind found a swift method of expression; in the laboriousness of oil -painting he was fettered with the complications of the medium. It can -be fairly said that only in one or two paintings--a notable example -can be cited in the wondrous "Sawyers" at South Kensington--does he -rise to the height of a great painter. Millet was a poet, a -philosopher, a great thinker, and the means he chose for expressing -himself were those which were best fitted to his purpose. His -predilections in art were concentrated upon the greatest, and -consequently the men who appealed to him were the thinkers of the -ages. Mantegna and Correggio, Michel Angelo and the mighty Greeks, -these were the masters who left their impress upon his mind and art. - -The influence of so sincere and profound an artist has necessarily -been profound. He has moulded men who have achieved world-wide fame; -Segantini, for example, would never have risen to the heights he did -had the example of Millet not been ever before him. There have been -many who, without possessing his genius, have endeavoured to follow -in his footsteps, but successfully as his imitators have sometimes -caught his style, their productions can never live alongside his, -because they lack the real ring of sincerity. - - -The plates are printed by BEMROSE & SONS, LTD., Derby and London - -The text at the BALLANTYNE PRESS, Edinburgh - - - -***END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MILLET*** - - -******* This file should be named 43068.txt or 43068.zip ******* - - -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: -http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/4/3/0/6/43068 - - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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