Jean—Francois Millet (October 4,1814----January 20, 1875) was a French painter and one of the founder of the Barbizon School in rural France. Born of a peasant family, Millet was encouraged by his father to study art in Cherbourg, France. He can be categorized as part of the movement called “naturalism”(自然主义). His understanding of the peasant’ hard life was perfectly expressed in his choice of subject and natural preference for powerful but simple drawing and coloring.
One of the most well—known of Millet’s paintings, The Gleaners(《拾穗者》)，first came in a vertical composition(垂直式构图) painted in 1854,and then there came the horizontal version in 1856, which is now preserved in the Musee d’Orsay. It depicts women bending over in the fields to collect the leftover’s from the harvest, and it is a monumental composition devoted to the working class.
Previously, servants were depicted in paintings as obedient to a noble or a king, and picking up what was left of the harvest was regarded as one of the lowest jobs in Millet;s times. However, Millet offered these women as the heroic focus of the picture. Besides, in the painting, light lights up the women’s shoulders as they carry out their work. Behind them, the field that stretches into the distance is bathed in golden light, under a wide , magnificent sky. The forms of the three figures, standing against the lighter field, show balance and harmony.
小题1:According to the passage , we can know that Millet________.
A．was born in rural France
B．belongs to neither naturalism nor realism
C．became famous for his love of the countryside
D．received his high school education in Barbizon小题2:As for the painting The Gleaners, ________.
A．it is originally a horizontal composition
B．it is based on the effort of Musee d’Orsay
C．it presents women in the field as the chief focus
D．it shows how women are stopped from working in the field小题3:In the painting, the viewer can appreciate Millet’s_________..
A．crazy interest in blue color
B．strong focus on the city life
C．absolute respect for the king
D．particular choice of main characters小题4:In which of the following books can we probably find this passage?
A．Kings and Nobles in France
B．A Guide to French Painting
C．French Agricultural History
D．The Founder of Musee d’Orsay
