Harvest 

Charles François Daubigny's "Harvest" uses oil on canvas to depict a common rural scene. Daubigny's broad, sweeping brushstrokes and muted palette capture the essence of the French countryside, but beyond the idyllic scene, the painting hints at the labor beneath the surface. The texture of the paint itself mimics the rough, organic qualities of the land. Notice the way the artist layered the colors, like the actual process of tilling the soil and gathering crops. There is a clear emphasis on the human effort required to bring in the harvest; men and women working together under the sun. While the work appears as a straightforward landscape, the artistic techniques are used to acknowledge the social and economic realities of rural life. By turning our attention to the materials and the processes of both painting and harvesting, Daubigny elevates the status of everyday labor, blurring the boundaries between fine art and the art of work itself.