Women Carrying Faggots c. 1858

This drawing was made by Jean-François Millet, probably sometime in the mid-19th century, using black crayon and charcoal. Look closely, and you will see that the artist is using the materials in a very direct way. See how the side of the crayon has been used to create areas of tone, suggesting a bleak, muddy ground, and a sky heavy with impending weather. These are not traditional fine art techniques, but something closer to the way a craftsman might use simple materials for maximum effect. Notice, too, the repeated marks making up the faggots: bundles of sticks tied together for firewood. The figures hauling them are bent double under the weight of their loads. This brings us to the social context of the work. Millet was famous for his sympathetic depictions of rural life, in an era when industrialization was rapidly changing the landscape. Though simple in its making, the drawing speaks volumes about labor, class, and the realities of rural existence. It reminds us that all art is rooted in the material conditions of its making.