The Wayfarers
Artist
Léon Augustin Lhermitte
(French, 1844-1925)
Date1909
Object number66.0578
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensions39 3/8 × 57 1/2 in. (100 × 146 cm)
ClassificationsPainting
Credit LineMuseo de Arte de Ponce. The Luis A. Ferré Foundation, Inc.
Collections
DescriptionThis work exemplifies French Realism from the second half of the nineteenth century and fin-de-siècle Impressionism. The painting blends the subject of the peasant with an Impressionist landscape, known for its brightness and loose, paint-heavy brushstrokes. Rural scenery was a central theme in Lhermitte’s works, likely reflecting his early life in a village in the Marne Valley northeast of Paris. He was also influenced by Jean-François Millet, who highlighted the dignity of rural life amid the technological advances of the Industrial Revolution. In “The Wayfarers,” Lhermitte depicts a family of travelers in the foreground. With a pack over his shoulder and a walking stick in hand, the father gazes out at the landscape while his family rests at his feet.
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