Millet: The First Steps of an Accomplished Artist

Published on 10 July 2020, by Sophie Reyssat

Auction on 19 July 2020 - 14:00 (CEST) - 9-11, rue Royale - 77300 Fontainebleau

Jean-François Millet's art lay in transforming the everyday into the everlasting. Inspired by his daily life in Barbizon, this intimate family scene in pastel is touchingly universal.

Jean-François Millet (1814-1875), The First Steps, pastel on paper, signed 40 x 46.7... Millet: The First Steps of an Accomplished Artist

Jean-François Millet (1814-1875), The First Steps, pastel on paper, signed 40 x 46.7 cm.
Estimate: €250,000/350,000

Jean-François Millet was a born draughtsman. His rapidly-drawn sketches and studies from life were essential stages in his paintings. He always worked in pastel, too, especially in around 1845 and at the end of his life. Imbued with a spontaneity not found with oils, this technique particularly suited the authenticity of his favourite subjects,…

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