Reapers Resting in a Wheat Field1885
Farm workers rest among the sheaves at the edge of a wheat field, painted with quick, broad strokes and high-keyed colour. More about this work
About this work
Farm workers rest among the sheaves at the edge of a wheat field, painted with quick, broad strokes and high-keyed colour. Sargent made the picture in 1885, shortly after leaving Paris for England, at a time when he was experimenting with painting outdoors in the manner of Claude Monet, whom he visited at Giverny that year. The informal subject and sunlit handling are far removed from the society portraits on which his fame rested.
Written by Ochre Editions.
How it was made
- Oil paint
- Pigment ground in a drying oil, usually linseed. It dries slowly, so painters could blend on the canvas, build up thin translucent glazes, and rework a picture over weeks. Canvas replaced wooden panels in the 1500s because it is lighter and can be rolled.
John Singer Sargent
American, 1856–1925 · Born in Florence; died in London.
Sargent was born in Florence to American parents and grew up travelling across Europe. He trained in Paris under Carolus-Duran, and the scandal over his portrait Madame X at the 1884 Salon prompted his move to London, where he became the most sought-after society portraitist on both sides of the Atlantic. Around 1907 he largely gave up portrait commissions for watercolours made on his travels and for the murals he painted for the Boston Public Library and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Written by Ochre Editions.
Rights and the museum’s record
Public domain. The Met has dedicated this image to the public domain under CC0, so anyone may copy, adapt and use it, for any purpose, without asking. Our prints and files are reproductions made from the museum’s image; the museum doesn’t endorse them.
- Object number
- 50.130.14
- Credit
- Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Type
- Painting
- Department
- The American Wing
- Licence
- CC0 1.0 Universal
- Museum record
- See it on the museum’s site
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