François Millet: Hidden gem
Explore the history of one of the smallest landscape paintings in the National Gallery
The Church at Arbonne (1870-80) by François MilletThe National Gallery, London
'The Church at Arbonne' is amongst the smallest landscape paintings in the National Gallery - measuring just 36.8 by 44.5 cm.
Painted around 1870 to 1880, this oil painting depicts a tranquil scene of everyday life in the rural countryside of France, close to the village of Barbizon, southeast of Paris.
Jean-François Millet (1814-1875)
The painting was originally attributed to the French artist, Jean-François Millet. Born in 1814, near Gréville in Normandy, he was renowned for creating works which depicted rural landscapes and labourers at work in the countryside of France.
Peasant Spreading Manure (Paysan répandant du fumier) (1854 - 1855) by Jean-François MilletNorth Carolina Museum of Art
Unlike some of his peers, Millet's landscapes largely placed focus on the labour of working people. Born into a farming family, Millet's depictions of the French countryside draw direct attention to those who live and work there.
Millet was known for both his pastels and oil paintings. He captured certain subject matter in both mediums - as can be seen above with one of his most well-known works, 'Man with a Hoe' in collection of The J. Paul Getty Museum.
The Church at Arbonne (1870-80) by François MilletThe National Gallery, London
François Millet (1851-1917)
A preliminary drawing of the view of the Church at Arbonne by Jean-François Millet survives. However, it is likely that this picture was actually painted by the artist's son, François Millet (1851-1917).
François Millet was a pupil of his father and often reproduced subjects his father had depicted.
A signature on the reverse of the painting confirms the attribution to François Millet, and an inscription also details the location of the pictured scene as 'environs de fontainebleau' (surroundings of Fontainebleau).
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The Church at Arbonne (1870-80) by François MilletThe National Gallery, London
A Family at Fontainebleau
Following the French Revolution of 1848 (also known as the February Revolution), and a devastating outbreak of cholera in Paris, Jean-François Millet and his family moved from Paris to Fontainebleau the following year. François Millet was born only a few years after this in 1851.
A Home for Artists
The forests of Fontainebleau and the neighbouring town of Barbizon were a popular location for artists in the mid-19th century. François Millet's father associated with this group of artists, later known as the Barbizon School of painters.
These paintings are examples of works by artists associated with the Barbizon school of landscape painters (including Théodore Rousseau, Constant Troyon, Narcisse Virgile Diaz de la Peña and Jean-François Millet). This community of artists, working from about 1830 to 1870 in the areas surrounding the town of Barbizon, were part of the movement towards naturalism in art. The Barbizon painters gathered to paint from nature and to capture the realistic beauty of France's rural landscapes.
The Church at Arbonne (1870-80) by François MilletThe National Gallery, London
Paintings of the Barbizon artists are often characterised by their rich tonal qualities, earthy colours and masterful treatment of light. In this painting, the church and surrounding buildings are bathed in a warm, golden glow.
If we look closely, we can also see a farm worker tending to their cattle and wearing the traditional blue clothing typically worn by agricultural labourers in the 19th century.
Beneath the Surface
Although not visible to the naked eye, X-radiography has revealed that there is another picture underneath 'The Church at Arbonne' which was probably painted by the same artist.
There is much more to this painting than originally meets the eye.
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