Could you please tell me a little more about the artist?
Jules Breton (1 May 1827 – 5 July 1906) was a 19th-century French Realist painter. His paintings are largely inspired by the French countryside. Academically trained at the Ecole des Beaux arts in Paris, his paintings combine an idealized view of farm workers and the countryside in an era of industrial growth. He was immensely popular during his time with both the public and artists. Van Gogh walked 87 miles to see his work! While it was unusual at the time to paint peasants as an artistic subject, Breton’s idealized views of fieldworkers hit a popular chord. His work is often compared to that of Jean-Francois Millet, who painted heroic peasants emphasizing the hardship of their labor.