'The Angelus' - Jean-François Millet (1857-1859)
Art's most iconic prayer.
Before becoming the iconic painting by Jean-François Millet, The Angelus is a Christian prayer traditionally announced three times a day by the ringing of church bells.
It served as a call to prayer and a way to mark time in a society where individual clocks were uncommon, as was the case in the 19th century. This ritual not only set the pace of daily life but also symbolized a moment of dedication to God.
When the bells rang, tradition required Christians to pause their activities and pray. This moment of devotion is precisely what Millet chose to depict in his renowned painting.
A Rural Painter
Jean-François Millet (1814–1875) was profoundly shaped by his upbringing, which influenced his artistic vision and thematic focus. Born in the rural hamlet of Gruchy in Normandy, his childhood on the family farm instilled a deep connection to peasant life, which would later dominate his art.
The compassionate nature and the religious commitment of his grandmother Louise particularly influenced his outlook on life and likely contributed to the dignified portrayal of peasants in his paintings.
However, like many artists of his time, Millet initially sought fame in Paris. Overwhelmed by the city life, he regularly finds refuge at the Louvre to copy works of the Old Masters. Despite his efforts, his time in Paris was marked by struggles: he lost his Fine Arts scholarship after failing for the Prix de Rome (1839) - and the loss of his first wife to tuberculosis five years later was another difficulty, in addition to the lack of artistic success.
Millet's move to Barbizon (Normandy) in 1849 with his second wife and their growing family was a turning point. This relocation was motivated by a desire to escape the political turmoil of the 1848 French Revolution and a cholera outbreak in Paris. Immersing himself once again in rural life, Millet found inspiration for some of his most celebrated works, such as ‘The Sower’ (1850) and ‘The Gleaners’ (1857).
Since then, his work depicting the physical labor of farm life is marked with his empathy for rural workers, always represented with a sense of quiet strength and nobility:' ‘The Angelus’ being one of the peak.
A Rural Daily Scene
The idea behind ‘The Angelus’ came from Millet’s childhood memories of his grandmother stopping work in the fields when the church bells rang to say the Angelus prayer.
Rather than intending to glorify religious sentiment, Millet aimed to capture the immutable rhythms of peasant life, focusing on a brief moment of rest in their daily toil.
The painting depicts a man and a woman standing in the foreground of a vast, empty plain. They have paused their work of harvesting potatoes, evidenced by the tools scattered around them - a potato fork, baskets, sacks, and a wheelbarrow.
The couple's heads are bowed in prayer, with their faces left in shadow while the fading light highlights their postures. In the distance, a church spire is visible on the horizon. Salvator Dalí, who venerated the painting, believed the couple was not praying but mourning over a buried child, represented by the potato sack in the foreground.
The scene captures a moment of spiritual reflection amidst the harsh realities of peasant life.
Despite the small size of the canvas (55 x 66 cm), the two figures take on a monumental quality, expressing a deep sense of meditation that transcends the specific moment to represent something more universal.
Cultural Heritage
‘The Angelus’ has had an extraordinary impact on art and culture.
It became a highly sought-after work, changing 7 times of ownership between its creation and the attempt made by the Louvre to acquire it in 1889. The latter triggered a surge of patriotic fervor as the government did not want it to leave the territory to be purchased by American museums.
The skyrocketing value of ‘The Angelus’, along with the sale of ‘The Gleaners’ shortly after, stood in stark contrast to the modest estate left by Millet to his family. This disparity ultimately led to the creation of the droit de suite law in France, ensuring that artists or their heirs receive a share of proceeds when artworks are resold.
Chauchard, a French art collector owning the painting, bequeathed it on his death in 1909 to the State, which assigned it to the Louvre Museum, which transferred it to the Orsay Museum when it was created in 1986.
By the 20th century, ‘The Angelus’ had become a global cultural icon, aided by the widespread reproduction of its imagery in late 19th-century Europe.
Today, ‘The Angelus’ is still housed in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris, where it continues to be admired as a masterpiece that captures a poignant moment of spiritual reflection in the lives of 19th-century French peasants. A necessary detour!