Geese in a Farmyard by Jean-François Millet

Geese in a Farmyard

Jean-François Millet · 1871

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“Stop to appreciate the lively energy of these geese, captured with remarkably expressive crayon strokes. This drawing offers an intimate glimpse into 19th-century farm life, focusing on the simple beauty of ordinary animals.”

ABOUT THIS WORK

A flock of geese, rendered with quick, energetic strokes, dominates this farmyard scene. The birds cluster together, their forms suggested by the varying pressure of the crayon, creating a sense of their soft feathers and plump bodies. One goose, perhaps the gander, stands prominently in the foreground, its neck craned, surveying its surroundings. Behind the geese, the rough textures of a thatched roof and a wooden fence suggest the rustic setting, while a faint, shadowy figure in the background hints at human presence without drawing focus from the animals. This intimate drawing, made late in the artist's career, captures a fleeting moment of rural life, reflecting the Realism movement's interest in everyday subjects and the dignity of the natural world, even in its most humble forms.

DETAILS
Artist
Jean-François Millet
Date
1871
Medium
Black crayon, on ivory wove paper (discolored to tan), laid down on white laid paper
Location
Art Institute of Chicago
Dimensions
19.9 × 26 cm (7 7/8 × 10 1/4 in.)
Collection
Prints and Drawings
Culture
France
Credit line
The Art Institute of Chicago
ART MOVEMENTS
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What to Notice

Five details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.

Geese in a Farmyard
01

The varied pressure of the black crayon, from soft smudges to sharp lines.

02

The textures of the thatched roof and wooden fence behind the geese.

03

The way the geese's forms are suggested rather than precisely outlined.

04

A faint, shadowy human figure in the background, almost blending into the farmyard.

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THE ARTIST

Jean-François Millet

1814–1875 · France

Jean-François Millet was a French artist and one of the founders of the Barbizon school in rural France. Millet is noted for his paintings of peasant farmers and can be categorized as part of the Realism art movement. Toward the end of his career, he became increasingly interested in painting pure landscapes. He is known best for his oil paintings but is also noted for his pastels, Conté crayon drawings, and etchings.

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More works to explore

Beyond Millet and Realism: works from the same years, and from the other movements Geese in a Farmyard belongs to.

The Estuary Farm Same movement · Barbizon school The Estuary Farm Léon-Victor Dupré · 1831 · Art Institute of Chicago Cart with Red and White Ox Same era · 1850s–1880s Cart with Red and White Ox Vincent van Gogh · 1884 · Kröller-Müller Museum Portrait of a Woman, Called Héloïse Abélard Same movement · Naturalism Portrait of a Woman, Called Héloïse Abélard Gustave Courbet · 1850 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art Barks Fleeing Before the Storm Same era · 1850s–1880s Barks Fleeing Before the Storm Léon-Victor Dupré · 1870 · Art Institute of Chicago C'est peut-être bon...mais c'est égal..., from Les Hippophages, published in Le Charivari, October 23, 1856 Same movement · Naturalism C'est peut-être bon...mais c'est égal..., from Les Hippophages, published in Le Charivari, October 23, 1856 Honoré Daumier · 1856 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art Paris Street; Rainy Day Same era · 1850s–1880s Paris Street; Rainy Day Kawabata Gyokushō · 1877 · Art Institute of Chicago Souvenir of Tuscany Same movement · Naturalism Souvenir of Tuscany Jean Baptiste Camille Corot · 1845 · Art Institute of Chicago The Backgammon Players Same era · 1850s–1880s The Backgammon Players Philip Webb · 1861 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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