17th - 20th centuries · Fields, villages, rural work and seasons

Country landscapes tell the story of the relationship between land, climate and human work, from the ideal pastoral to the modern fields of Millet, Monet, Pissarro and Van Gogh.

The countryside enters European painting in various forms: biblical decor, ideal pastoral, topographical view or work scene. In the 19th century, Constable painted the countryside of his childhood with careful observation of the sky and humidity. Millet places rural workers at the center of monumental compositions. Monet transforms millstones and fields into light series, while Pissarro captures frost, paths and villages to the rhythm of the seasons. Van Gogh intensifies the wheat and crows to the point of making the field an emotional space. The "Country Landscapes" selection notably compares Le Chariot de hay - John Constable and Champ de wheat aux corbeaux - Vincent van Gogh. His reading favors color.

The countryside landscape brings together what is slowly changing - the land and the seasons - and what is repeated every day: cultivating, harvesting, walking and living.