Peasant with a Hoe c. 1882

Georges Seurat made this painting, Peasant with a Hoe, using oil paints and brushes. He applied them in short strokes across the canvas. The texture is rough, reflecting the toil of the figure represented. Seurat’s choice of material and process speaks volumes. While oil paint was a traditional medium, his application was not. The visible brushstrokes and textured surface emphasize the physical act of painting itself, drawing a parallel between the artist’s labor and the peasant’s work in the fields. This painting is a study for his monumental work "A Bathing Place, Asnières", and acts as a modern re-imagining of rural labor in industrializing France. Seurat elevates the working class to the realm of fine art, challenging the traditional hierarchy between high art and everyday life, and asking us to see the value and dignity in both.