How does this artwork elucidate its Description?
Although the work cannot have been painted in the open air due to its large dimensions, Daubigny certainly tried to capture the fleeting reality of a Summer day in the country. The work stands out for its light colors and loose brushstrokes. Many other painters of the Barbizon School used a much darker palette. Daubigny showed himself to be a forerunner of the Impressionists. This is especially evident around the horizon, where only a few horizontally placed brushstrokes, each of a different color, can be seen.
In this painting, the whole countryside is marked out in blue squares that seems like a chessboard. All of the activities are picturesquely grouped around a golden blaze such as men doubled over, women hurrying along the narrow paths, and people stooking sheaves of corn and loading carts.
Barbizon School