Angelus

The Angelus by Jean Francois Millet

1859, France, 21.9 in. x 26 in., Oil Painting

            There are many paintings and pictures that represent what life on a farm might be like or how they can contribute to the world. After learning many aspects within the farming community, there have been countless pictures that have come across, in museums and on computer screens, indicating what life might have been like on the farm years ago, and how things are in today's world. There are countless views on what the farm does, is, looks like, produces, etc,, and everyone, regardless of where they come from, sees this in their own way. 

            Upon looking at a variety of paintings that depicted life on a farm, one that stuck out, in relation to farm life, was the Angelus that was created by Jean Francois Millet. Although the main purpose of the picture was to indicate those on the farm, showing a man and a woman, that were, "Reciting the Angelus, a prayer which commemorates the annunciation made to Mary by the angel Gabriel," basically describing the reason why the two were bowing their heads while on the field. The basic purpose was to express, not any thoughts toward a religious aspect, but to show, as stated from the website, Musee d'Orsay, "the immutable rhythms of peasant life in a simple scene," (Lewandowski) by indicating the simple, yet powerful, message behind his masterpiece. The message behind the scene, when recognized by interpretation, really dives deep into what the artist was trying to portray to his audience, however, when the picture was first introduced, an entirely new meaning was brought about. 

            Based on what has been discussed and reviewed during the time within this class, and how farming has been depicting in this day and age, there was a different interpretation from my point of view that I felt really describes how I feel, personally, toward farming. Although the picture itself, as said to have been from Millet's perspective on the piece, was not about religious purposes, and neither is my viewpoint, but sort of falls under a similar category. I felt, while looking upon the picture, that the man and the woman were in prayer because of what they were grateful for. They were looking upon their fields and understanding all of the hard work that they had done while being appreciative for what they were given. They, like Millet said, were not praising any religious beliefs, but more so praising the moment that had brought them to where they were. I will admit, my view does lean more toward the religious aspect, and having a way to do so, but acknowledging all possible results that lead them to where they needed to be. Which is why Millet's perspective is so rich because he focuses on the peasant life itself and how important that is all wrapped up into one intricate scene that was painted. 

           With looking at rhetoric, I felt as though this particular painting adhered to the direction of pathos. Because pathos focuses more on the emotional aspect of rhetoric, the connection, to the piece of the Angelus, really worked for both the thoughts from the artist and from my personal point of view. Millet is able to focus on pathos by feeding the moments of those that were peasants and how important their lives were to the world. Since this piece of art was created so long ago, it would seem that those that worked on the farm would not have the same relevance as they do today, but the simplistic nature of what Millet was trying to get across proves just that. We could not be more grateful for what farmers did hundreds of  years ago and Millet portrays that in multiple ways. Seeing what they had to offer, seeing how far farmers have come, is equally represented from the progression since that painting was first created. 

Works Cited

The picture was obviously created by Jean Francois Millet, but was not seen in person, but by located on the internet. The credit does go to him, but the source from where it was found.

n.a. Our Catholic Prayers. 2015. Web. 2 Aug. 2015.
http://www.ourcatholicprayers.com/the-angelus.html

Lewandowski, Herve. Musee d'Orsay. 2006. Web. 2 Aug. 2015.

n.a. WikiArt: Visual Art Encyclopedia. n.d. Web. 2 Aug. 2015.
http://www.wikiart.org/en/jean-francois-millet/the-angelus-1859