ATTRIBUÉ À JEAN-FRANÇOIS DEMAY (Mirecourt, 1798... Lot n° 30

RESTING AFTER THE HARVEST and HANDLING OUT THE GRAIN Oils on canvas (as a pair) 32 x 40 cm These two paintings, which form a counterpart, illustrate an episode in rural life. On the left, a cart filled with freshly cut hay waits patiently while farmers rest on the ground. Only two figures in the foreground appear to be active, probably the tenant farmer and the owner of the estate. On the right, a shallow-draft boat is being unloaded. Perhaps these are sacks of grain or flour. Active under the Restoration (1814/1815 - 1830) and then under the July Monarchy (1830-1848), Jean-François Demay specialized in genre scenes and landscapes. The artist participated in the Salon from 1827 to 1846. In this pair of paintings, the artist was able to capture the carefree bucolic life of the countryside, far from the harshness of the countryside that would later be represented by naturalist painters such as Jules-Bastien Lepage (1848-1884) and Léon Lhermitte (1844-1925).