Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1905-08-17
THE PAINTER MILLET
LIFE or THE ARTIST or THE PEOPLE
WHO WORK AFlELD.

lie and Hia Wife Felt the Panga OF
Aunger--When success Came.
Millet's early life was very close to
nature. His fathers farm was at
Gruchy, In the hilly department OF
Manche, which juts out like promon-
tory into the English channel In that
narrow strip the sea is nowhere far
Off. He grew up In the air OF the hills
and of the sea. surroundings bring
ing sturdiness Of character and devel-
opment Of imagination, liz 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 piece of charcoal and
draw upon white wall. BY the time
he was eighteen family council was
held and 1t was decided that the ia
ther should take him to Cherbonrg and
consult iocal 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 labored until the
municipality OF Cherbourg provided o
sum OF money to enable him to go to
Paris to study.
He was now twenty three, broad
chested Hercules, awkward and shy.
his big head covered with long fair hair,
with nothing to denote intellectual
force except pair of piercing dark
blue eyes. Delaroche, to whose studio
he attached himself, was kind to him,
| but Millet 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 soir'
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 little while he left It,
Then followed eight years of beating
the air. He married and had to bestir
himself for living. He tried TO paint
what the people seemed to like pretty
little figure subjects--but prettiness
was not in his line. and the attempt TO
seek 1t disgusted him. Suddenly he
made the great resolve to paint what
he wished to and could paint, and In
1S48 produced "The Winnower.'' 1t
represented q clumsy peasant, In un-
couth working clothes. STOPPING over q
| sieve as he shakes 1t to and fro. From
the point OF view OF the academies
shockingly vulgar picture! Yet 1t sold
for 800 francs $100). 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 little place with
q name ending In "zon," near the for
est OF Fontainebleau, where they could
live cheaply and study from nature.
The two painters, with their wives and
children, rumbled out OF Paris In
cart which took them to the town OF
Tontainebleau. Thence they proceeded
on foot through the forest. 1t was very
wild In those days. "IIow beautifuI!"
was Miliet's constant exclamation.
Arrived at Barbizon, they were well
coined at Cannes Inn by Rousseau,
Diaz and the other artists who lived In
the village.
When fresh painter came into the
colony 1t was the custom to take down
from the wall certain big pipe, that,
rs the newcomer pulled at it, the com
pany might judge from the rings Of
smoke whether he was to be reckoned
among the "academics' or the "color-
lists" Jacque was proclaimed O color
ist; but, some uncertainty being ex-
pressed concerning Millet, the latter
exclaimed, "Ah, well, IL you are en-
barrassed, put me in class OF my
own" "A good answer" cried Diaz,
''and he looks strong and big enough
to hold his own in It" The little pleas
antry was prophetic.
But its fulfllment was deferred for
many years, during which Millet work
ed Son I'm poverty, pictures that now
would bring large sums OF money be-
ing refused at the exhibitions Of the
salon and finding no purchasers. a
hint OF his condition is contained In Il
letter to his friend Sensier, acknowl-
edging the receipt OF $50: II have re-
ceived the hundred francs. They came
just at the right time. Neither my wife
nor / had tasted food for twenty -four
hours. It's blessing that the little ones,
at any rate, have not been In want"
1t was only from about his fortieth
year that his pictures began to sell at
the rate Of from ESQ to 800 francs
each. Rousseau, who had himself
known the extremes of poverty, was
the first to give him large sum, buy
ing The Wood Cutter" for 1900 francs
under the pretense that 1t was for an
American purchaser. 1t was resoid at
the Hartmann sale In 1880 for 133, 600
francs. BY the beginning Of the sixties,
however. Millet's reputation was no
longer In question. At the Paris expo
sition Of 1867 he was represented by
nine pictures and received the grand
medal In the salon Of 1869 he was ON
the hanging committee But he still
continued what has been happily called
his life of sublime monotony," his So