Jean-Francois Millet (1814-1875)
Two Men Digging
1855-56
Etching
9 1/4 x 13″ (23.49 x 33.02 cm)
Wetmore Print Collection, Connecticut College
FW-0313

The Post-Romantic generation of French artists, referred to as Realists, attempted to give modern life an almost heroic quality.  Their public declarations reflected the belief that art should represent the everyday life of common people. Millet’s etching of Two Men Digging displays a theme that engaged him for many years. He devoted himself to depicting ordinary people, allowing him to convey as sense of humanity through his art. This piece shows the men in action, preforming an extremely physically demanding task of backbreaking labor. The use of common subjects helped gather support for peasantry and people of rural France.