The Sower 1865

"The Sower" (1865) by Jean-François Millet depicts a lone peasant farmer sowing seeds in a field. The painting, executed in charcoal and pastel, utilizes a muted palette to emphasize the vastness of the landscape and the toil of the farmer. This work, now held at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, exemplifies Millet's focus on the dignity of labor and the cyclical nature of life, themes that were central to the Realist movement in art.