> This paper will present a detailed analysis of the artistic characteristics such as the composition, style, movement/gesture and texture of three of Millet's paintings. The impact of these components on Millet's rural themes will also be explored. The three paintings are The Gleaners, Angelus and Harvesters Resting.
Millet's rural representations were distinguished from his contemporaries in many ways. Instead of rendering portraits of "sweet-faced country maids" working happily in an idyllic landscape, Millet's painting, The Gleaners, presents three anonymous figures engaged in the activity of gleaning. The similarities of the poses of two of the three figures in the paintings enhance their anonymous qualities. Their half-hidden faces, bowed down in labor, are cast in shadow. Stripped of their individual identities, they become archetypal representatives of the gleaners who lead difficult lives of poverty (Herbert and Lehman 13; Hedberg 14). According to Herbert, the three women resemble the ancient sculptures from the Parthenon, heavy with their sculptural weight and distinguished by the precision of their movements (85). Thus, even though the women are engaged in physical labor, they also project images of timelessness and dignity. At the same time, it is important to note that their symbolic qualities are also tempered by the realism of these figures such as the texture of their clothing.
One of the techniques of Millet's work, which contributes to the realism of his figures, is his portrayal of the movement of the human figures. Millet was highly focused on creating authentic representations of the physical strain and stress of the moving body in physical activity. This painting represents a prime example of Millet's central focus in recreating the repetitive movements of the human body in physical labor. By drawing the spiraling lines with sudden hook-like turns that indicated his awareness of the pressures...