Sowing the Seeds of Modern Art

Jean-François Millet: Sowing the Seeds of Modern Art places Millet’s paintings, drawings and pastels in the context of a large number of 19th- and early 20th-century international avant-garde artists, who were inspired by the French painter. Jean-François Millet: Sowing the Seeds of Modern Art is the result of collaboration between the Saint Louis Art Museum and the Van Gogh Museum. (Opened in February and due to Covic - 19 it was held over until September 7,2020)

Jean-François Millet (1814-1875) is widely considered as one of the most important Barbizon School painters. He influenced many generations of artists. The exhibition Jean-François Millet: Sowing the Seeds of Modern Art illustrates just how progressive the work of Millet was in his own time and how important he became to modern artists after him, such as Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, Winslow Homer and Salvador Dalí. This is the first exhibition to explicitly focus on the international impact of the modernity of Millet’s work.

Jean-François Millet took a poetic and emphatic approach to painting, in which he chose everyday themes from peasant life, particularly the relationship between man and nature. Never before had peasant scenes been depicted in such a monumental way and with such deference. Instead of focusing on industrialization and urbanization as hallmarks of modern times, Millet concentrated on the hardships of peasant life. His deep understanding of this social class and his radical painting technique went against the norm.

Later artists appreciated not only his peasant themes, but also his nudes and landscapes – works that are nowadays less well-known. These artists also admired Millet’s anti-academic approach, inventive technique and use of materials. Into the 20th century, Millet’s renown extended from Europe to America and Russia, and he inspired artists such as Vincent van Gogh, Georges Seurat, Paul Cézanne, Edgar Degas, Camille Pissarro, Claude Monet, Winslow Homer, Paula Modersohn-Becker, Edvard Munch and Salvador Dalí. Notably, Millet was an artistic hero of Vincent van Gogh. In the final year of his life, Vincent van Gogh even painted a striking series of 20 ‘copies’ of works by Millet.

Sower by Millet circa 1856-66 and Sower by Vincent van Gogh 1888 and (at podium) Saint Louis Art Museum curator of modern and contemporary art Simon Kelly. 

The exhibit has 100+ works on loan from Musee d'Orsay/Paris, Yamanashi/Japan, Getty/LA, Museum of Fine Arts/Boston...Pittsburgh, Buffalo, New York and more. Amazing collection on view at this show. Bravo.