Haymaking Pieter Brueghel The Elder (1525-1569)

Description of Peter Brueghel’s painting The Harvest

The painting "The Harvest," painted by the Dutch artist Peter Bruegel in 1565, is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Art historians attribute the painting to the "Seasons" series, which consists of several canvases painted by the author according to the twelve months. "Harvest" refers to the month of August, when the peasants go to the wheat field to gather the rich grain harvest.

The author transports observers to a hot summer day of harvest, the reapers are hard at work with their sickles, they still have much work ahead of them. We see several harvested sheaves that are neatly stacked near the trees, but the grass does not end. In front of them is a whole field of wheat that grows on a hill, a picturesque view from there. The farmers at work can look out over the distant expanse, washed by the gray-blue waves of the sea. The grass is so tall that even the peasants themselves can’t normally be seen in it at times. We can see indistinct silhouettes and parts of bodies curled up at work.

A most curious sight unfolds in the foreground. A group of peasants opens before our eyes. The toilers, weary from exhausting labor and the scorching sun, sit down to rest under an olive tree. Some are resting and eating lunch, while others are simply staring intently into the distance, admiring the nature from the hill. It is noticeable that everyone suffers from the unmerciful heat of the sun, some clever ones have stocked up on straw hats, while the rest have to expose their uncovered heads to the hot rays.

The artist painted the picture in light, even pastel, warm hues. We see many strokes of sandy, golden brown, greenish, linen, peach, saffron, and tangerine colors.