Woodcutter Making a Faggot 1853

Jean-François Millet's "Woodcutter Making a Faggot" (1853) is a striking black and white lithograph depicting a solitary woodcutter in a forest. The figure, rendered in a realistic and detailed style, is seen preparing a bundle of firewood. This intimate and focused portrayal of a common peasant's work is characteristic of Millet's Realist style, which sought to elevate the lives of ordinary people to the status of art. The scene evokes a sense of solitude and hardship, highlighting the essential labor that sustained rural communities. The work is now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.