“To tell the truth, peasant subjects suit my nature best, for I must confess, at the risk of your taking me to be a Socialist, that the human side is what touches me most in art... The joyous side never shows itself to me; I know not if it exists, but I have never seen it. The gayest thing I know is the calm, the silence, which are so delicious, both in the forest and in the cultivated fields, whether the soil is good for culture or not. You will confess that it always gives you a very dreamy sensation, and that the dream is a sad one, although often very delicious.”

In his letter to fr:Alfred_Sensier, Barbizon, February 1850; as quoted in Prints & drawings Europe 1500–1900 - catalogue for the exhibition 'European prints & drawings: 1500 - 1900', ed. Peter Raissis; Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney 2014, pp. 136-137
1835 - 1850

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update April 25, 2025. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "To tell the truth, peasant subjects suit my nature best, for I must confess, at the risk of your taking me to be a Soci…" by Jean-François Millet?
Jean-François Millet photo
Jean-François Millet 12
French painter 1814–1875

Related quotes

Little Richard photo
Tori Amos photo
John Bartholomew Gough photo
Idries Shah photo
Tori Amos photo
Elizabeth Gilbert photo
Samuel Beckett photo

Related topics