Description
In Woodcutter Trimming Faggots, a bare-chested worker handles a long branch, with stacked wood at the left and bundles and tools below. Dark trees enclose the worker from behind. His body and the materials gathered around him give the task a substantial presence, making the preparation of bundled firewood an encounter with physical effort.
Made in 1853–54, the drawing uses Conté crayon with softened passages on beige paper. Its dry medium can join firm marks to broader shadows, giving the figure a bodily presence while retaining the intimacy of a work on paper. Millet makes a modest occupation worth sustained attention, finding significance in the contact between a person and what he handles. The scene’s strength comes from work taking place, rather than from a story imposed upon it.
Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Jean-François Millet collection.
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