The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1905-10-14
THE PAINTER MILLET
LIFE OF THE ARTIST OF THE PEOPLE
WHO WORK AFleLo.

The way the eCry of the soIIv Used
to Ring Ia His Ears-Times when
He and HIS Wife Felt the Pangs Of
Hunger-When Success Came.
AIillet's early life was very close to
nature His fathers farm was at
Gruchy, in the billy department OF
Manche, which juts out like a promon-
tory into the English channel In that
narrow strip the sea is nowhere far
OF. He grew up in the air of the hills
and of the sea, surroundings bring
ing sturdiness of character and devel-
opment of imagination, if a boy chance
to have either of these, and the young
Millet had He knew nothing of art
or artists, but he had the desire to
represent what he saw, and in the in
TERMS of work upon the farm he would
copy the engravings in the family
Bible or take a piece of charcoal and
draw upon a white wall. BY the time
he was eighteen a family council was
held and it was decided that the IA
Their should take him to CherbOurg and
consult a local painter as TO jeans
prospects. The painter advised his
studying art, and undertook to teach
him. However, he worked in Cher
bourg only two months. for then his
father died and he had TO return home
to resume his work as farm labOrer.
Three more years he laborN until the
municipality of Cherbourg provided a
sum Of money to enable him to go to
Paris GO study.
He was now twenty-three, a broad
chested Hercules, awkward and shy,
his big head covered with long fair hair,
with nothing to denote intellectual
force except a pair Of pierciug dark
blue eyes. Delaroche, to whose studio
he attached himself, was kind TO him,
but BIillet could not understand the
large classical pictures that the master
painted To him they seemed artificial,
with no real sentiment. Ringing in
his ears even then, as he used to say
in later life, was the "cry Of the soil''
memories Of his home life, that in
some way he wanted to learn to paint
DelarOche's studio was no place for
him, and after a little while he left it.
Then followed eight years Of beating
the air. He married and had to bestir
himself for a living. He tried to paint
what the people seemed to like-pretty
little figure subjects-but prettiness !
was not in bis line and the attempt to
seek it Disguised him. Suddenly he
made the great resolve to paint what
he wished to and could paint, and Ia !
1913 produced The Winnower." 1t
represented a clumsy peasant, In IN
couth working clothes. STOPPING over a I
sieve as he shakes it to and fro. From \
the point of view of the academies a /
shockingly vulgar picture! Yet it sold /
for 500 francs $500. Millet now had .
the courage Of his convictions
His friend Jacque. afterward the cele-
brated painter and etcher Of sheep and (
poultry, told him Of a little place with
a name ending in 'zon,'' near the for
est of Fontalnebleau where they could <
live cheap'y and study from nature.
TIE two Pagnters, with their wives and
children, VImbled out Of Paris in a
cart which took them to the town OF
Fontainebleau. Thence they proceeded
on foot through the forest. 1t was very
wild in those days. How beautifulr'
was Millets constant exclamation.
Arrived at Barbizon, they were vel
coined at Cannes inn by Rousseau.
Diaz and the other artists who lived in
the village.
When a fresh painter came into the
colony it was the custom TO take down
from the wall a certain big pipe, that.
IS the newcomer pulled at it. the com
)any might judge from the rings OF
smoke whether he was to be reckoned
lmong the academies" or the color
SITS" Jacque was proclaimed a color
st; but, some uncertainty being ex-
PRESSED concerning Millet, the latter
"Ah, well, if you are EN-
put me in a class Of my
,wn." "a good answer" cried Diaz,
and he looks strong and big enough
o hold his own in It." The little pleas
ntry was prophetic.
But It's fulfllment was deferred for
many years, during which Alillet work
d on in poverty, pictures that now
would bring large sums Of money be-
ng refused at the exhibitions of the
alon and finding no purchasers. A
int of his condition is contained in a
etter to his friend Sensier, acknowI-
dying the receipt Of $50: Il have re-
eived the hundred francs They came
ust at the right time. Neither my wife
or 1 had tasted food for twenty four
ours. It's blessing that the little ones,
{ any rate, have not been in want"
It was only from about his fOrtieth ,
ear that his pictures began to sell at
be rate Of FROM $50 to 300 francs ,
lch. Rousseau, who had himself
n0wn the extremes Of poverty, was
he first to give him a large sum, buy