# Reapers Resting in a Wheat Field

**John Singer Sargent** (American, 1856–1925)  
1885  
Oil on canvas  
28 x 36 in. (71.1 x 91.4 cm)

Courtesy of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 50.130.14. [The museum's record](https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/12162).

## 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._

John Singer Sargent painted this in 1885, aged 29. It is now at The Met in New York.

### 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](https://www.ochreeditions.com/artists/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._

## Facts

- Type: Painting
- Culture: American
- The artist was 29
- Real size: about 28 × 36 in (71 × 91 cm). The original is larger than our largest print, 20 × 30 in, so every print is a reduction.
- Century: 19th century
- Movement: [Realism](https://www.ochreeditions.com/movements/realism)
- Subjects: Men, Landscapes
- Colour: ochre
- Rights: public domain (CC0 1.0); free to use for any purpose.

## Get it

- Free download, full resolution: https://img.ochreeditions.com/m/854.jpg?dl=1
- Image: https://img.ochreeditions.com/a/854/1920.jpg
- Giclée reproduction on Hahnemühle Photo Rag: 8 × 10 in $28; 11 × 14 in $38; 12 × 16 in $42; 16 × 20 in $56; 18 × 24 in $68; 20 × 30 in $86
- Framed reproduction: 8 × 10 in $78; 11 × 14 in $98; 12 × 16 in $108; 16 × 20 in $138; 18 × 24 in $164; 20 × 30 in $208
- Canvas reproduction: 8 × 10 in $58; 11 × 14 in $72; 12 × 16 in $79; 16 × 20 in $98; 18 × 24 in $118
- Print-ready file: 8 × 10 in $2; 11 × 14 in $2; 12 × 16 in $3; 16 × 20 in $3; 18 × 24 in $3; 20 × 30 in $5

Sizes stop where the museum's file would print below 150 pixels per inch. Everything sold is a reproduction, made to order. [Order a print](https://www.ochreeditions.com/art/reapers-resting-in-a-wheat-field-met-12162).