The Harrower (La herseuse) 1872
alfredeloiauteroche
minneapolisinstituteofart
drawing, pencil
drawing
toned paper
light pencil work
pencil sketch
charcoal drawing
pencil drawing
coloured pencil
coffee painting
underpainting
pencil
france
watercolour illustration
watercolor
"The Harrower (La herseuse)" (1872) by Alfred Eloi Auteroche is a detailed charcoal drawing depicting a young woman standing between two oxen in a field. The woman holds a long stick, likely a goad used to direct the oxen. The scene evokes the labor and toil of rural life. Rendered in shades of gray, the drawing captures the atmospheric quality of the countryside with a sense of peace and quietude. The drawing’s realistic portrayal of the scene showcases the artist’s talent for depicting animal form and human movement.
Comments
During the Paris Commune of 1871, Alfred Auteroche drove an ambulance for the Republican (national government) side, which defeated the revolutionary Communards who had seized control of Paris and established a government espousing the rights of women, children, and workers. A year after this bloody conflict, the artist exhibited The Harrower at the Paris Salon. The inscription, penned in Latin and French, means “To the man the sword, to the woman the plow”—seemingly a reference to the idea that women were left to work the fields as men fought for their political beliefs. This scene may thus have served as a memorial to the women burdened by the war, and the men lost in it.
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