Jules Breton, The tired gleaner - 1880 by Atelier Liesjes

Collecting, picking up the bit of grain that remains after a wheat field has been harvested - was usually the work of the poor, especially women. Breton shows a collector stretching out against a backdrop of the setting sun, while behind her others are still working in the field. Her bare feet and worn-out, simple clothes immediately identify her as a farmer. At the same time her outstretched gesture and the subdued tones of her skin and clothing connect her with the surrounding landscape, both visually and symbolically. This painting suggests not only the hardships of peasant life, but also the great link between mankind and the land. Like many of his successful contemporaries, Breton responded to the demand for his paintings by copying his own works and introducing variations.

Breton paintings give a romanticised image of the French farmer as the heroic embodiment of a traditional, idyllic and noble way of life. However, this agricultural lifestyle quickly disappeared under the pressure of the Industrial Revolution, evoking a sense of nostalgia for what was lost to modernity.

Jules Adolphe Aimé Louis Breton (Courrières, 1 May 1827 - Paris, 5 July 1906) was a French realistic painter in the 19th century. He then came to Ghent in 1843 where he started at the Academy. In 1846 Breton moved to Antwerp. Breton was mainly a painter of French country life.