The Sower, after Millet

Maris took up etching again after twenty years, around 1880. His objective was to make a reproduction of the famous painting The Sower of 1850 by the French artist Jean-François Millet. Maris saw the effort it had taken Millet to create this masterpiece reflected in the farmer’s slow gesture. Good art, so he believed, must issue from its maker. He immediately reaped praise with this large, detailed etching.