The Sower

The painting, The Sower, painted by Jean-Francois Millet, was one of his earliest artworks which he envisioned and painted at Barbizon. Millet's previous versions of this painting were perceived to have been much more resemblance to his Normandy place of residence compared to that of Barbizon. The originals demonstrated more of a gentleman of Greville with a happy and progressive step amongst a group of corvids there while sampling the grains. The painting depicts a middle-aged man carrying a bag full of seed on his arm for sowing. He makes long-footed strides across the vast farmland while flinging his right hand out to throw the seeds he holds on the hand. As he progresses with a scattering of the seeds across the farmland, a group of corvids or crows gathers behind him towards the left side. At the time when Jean-Francois Millet painted this art piece, he had moved out of his hometown, Paris, because of the political instability at the period. He decided to live in Barbizon, a town that was nearby. Millet's painting, The Sower, emphasized on depicting a human figure, mainly, a rural laborer working alone in the vast farmland. The sower art was painted back in 1850. Its original title was Le semeur. It embraced the styles of realism and naturalism. This is because the piece of work was related to the regular tasks that were found in the human environment, given that people relied on farming for consumption. Besides, the painting features a man in the natural environment, which depicts the elements of nature and its roles to human beings. The theme of the painting is sowing, and the author embraced it in the period between 1850 and 1870. The medium of the piece of art is oil on canvas. The location of this piece of art is in the Museum of fine arts in Boston, USA. Also, the measurements of the piece of work are 82.6 cm by 101.6 cm. The period of existence of the theme displayed by this piece of painting fits in the rural setting and displays the element of socialism. Besides, it incorporates the element of poverty where man has to toil in order to eat. Based on his pieces of art, he is viewed as a socialist. His way of doing things is a significant influence on young artists. Some of the artists that value his works include; Eugene Boudin, who was active from 1824 to 1898, Claude Monet, who was active from 1840 to 1926, and Pablo Picasso, who painted since 1881 to1973.