The Painter of the Earth, Millet

Author: Roman Rolland
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-02-01
Features: In 19th-century France, Jean-Fran?ois Millet's character was quite astonishing: he seemed to belong to another era, another nation, and possessed a unique way of thinking; he was unique in French art and almost like an outsider. On the land, you see those people toiling and working diligently. You often see one of them straightening up and wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. Is this the kind of "joyful and playful" labor that some claim to believe in? Yet, in my view, this is the true essence of humanity, this is a magnificent poem. Jean-Fran?ois Millet was a Norman from France, born on October 4, 1814, in the village of Gruchy, near the town of Honfleur in the northern part of the Cotentin Peninsula. It was a remote and impoverished village with a simple customs. Millet was the second of eight children. The "Jean" in his name was taken after his father, while "Fran?ois" was named in honor of St. Francis of Assisi. His family was an epitome of those who retained moral strength and lofty ideals, such families often existed among the poorer people of France. Tolstoy once remarked when discussing a famous contemporary French realist novel, "If the French were all like the people depicted in this book, then for me, the entire history of France would certainly become incomprehensible." Indeed, how could people lacking ideals interpret a history book that was often and obviously filled with idealism? And Millet's life would certainly better satisfy Tolstoy's taste, as he would surely recognize a certain type of person in Millet's life—those who created true miracles for the nation and people, often imbuing these miracles with heroic qualities. Millet was physically robust, mentally vibrant, and absolutely pure in his actions, with a firm religious belief and serious thoughts, which set him apart from those around him. His father, Jean-Louis-Nicolas, served as the choir director at the parish church. He had a basic understanding of music and conducted peasant choirs. We notice with some bewilderment that nature, before successfully awakening the genius of the painter, first reached out to his father, and the genius ultimately manifested in his son. Jean-Louis-Nicolas was an elegant, contemplative man with a somewhat ambiguous artistic inclination. He tried his hand at making clay sculptures and wood carvings, and enjoyed observing animals, plants, and people. It was he who first pointed out the beauty of the countryside to young Fran?ois, and he instilled in his son his serious moral views, pure and simple thoughts, and his aversion to boastful talk and frivolous jokes. Millet's mother, Aimée-Henriette-Adèle-Henriette, also known as Du Bois, came from a wealthy peasant family considered to be of noble lineage. One of her uncles had been a priest, who nearly lost his life during the French Revolution due to his arrogant refusal to take an oath of allegiance to the constitution and his refusal to abandon his steadfast beliefs. He was strong and physically fit, with a keen interest in agricultural work. Another distinguished uncle was a chemist. Yet another was a miller who often read the works of Pascal, Nicole, Montaigne, and Charron. However, the person who had the earliest and greatest influence on Millet was his grandmother, Louise-Jumeau. She was an elderly, deeply religious rural woman. This devout Catholic grandmother lived a life of asceticism, seeing God in everything and linking God to every scene in nature and every action in life. One of Millet's earliest memories was of his grandmother waking him up as a young child and saying, "My little Fran?ois, get up! If only you knew how long birds have been praising the glory of sacred places!"