From the Blurb: Jean-Francois Millet's vibrant depiction of rural life helped shatter long-standing artistic and academic prejudices in nineteenth-century Europe, opening the door for the flowering of Impressionism and modern art. Born the son of a Normandy farmer, Millet dedicated his career to recording the demanding labor and simple beauties of peasant life in the French countryside. His powerful images of winnowers, gleaners and sowers were denounced as heresy in academic circles. In 1849 Millet joined a growing number of young French painters in Barbizon who had also rejected the status quo and moved out into the country to paint landscapes directly from nature. In so doing, the Barbizon School, and Millet in particular, provided a crucial turning point and directly influenced the work of many artistic giants including Monet, Gauguin, van Gogh, and Degas. "Millet's monumental contribution to art is one of the art world's best-kept secrets," writes Jan Fontein. This book brings that hidden legacy to light at last.