Gleaner, completed by Miller in 1857, was originally an extremely ordinary scene depicting rural summer harvest labor, but its artistic effect at that time was far beyond the painter's expectation. In autumn, the golden fields look endless. On the land after the wheat harvest, three peasant women are bending down to carefully pick up the lost ears of wheat to supplement the food at home. The wheat pile behind them seems to have nothing to do with them. Although we can't see the faces and facial expressions of these three peasant women clearly, Miller described their postures as having the solemn beauty of classical sculpture. The action angles of the three peasant women are slightly different, and they have the beauty of serial actions, which seems to be an exploded view of the peasant women's gleaning actions. The peasant woman wearing a red headscarf is picking it up quickly, and the other hand is holding a large bundle of wheat ears in the bag. I can see that she has been taking it for a while, and there is a small gain in the bag; The woman wearing a blue headscarf has been exhausted by repeated bending movements. She looks exhausted, with her left hand behind her waist to support her body. The woman on the right side of the picture, with half of her body sideways and a pile of wheat in her hand, is carefully examining the wheat fields that have been picked again to see if there are any missed ears of wheat. This is how the peasant women go back and forth, patiently and tirelessly picking up the ears of wheat for the sake of food and clothing for the whole family and with deep affection for every grain. The original title of this painting is August, which shows a jubilant summer harvest scene, but the painter's realistic approach contrasts the rich and beautiful rural natural scenery with the hard work of farmers. Several social activists close to Miller saw the valuable truth in this painting and suggested that the painter modify the composition. With their encouragement, Miller gradually changed his role, until finally, only three peasant women appeared in the foreground. The warm and busy summer harvest scene was pushed to the farthest place in the background. This modification has produced amazing social effects.
In fact, the social effect of art is not always consistent with the artist's creative intention. Miller's rural landscape paintings have never placed any desire for social reform. But his paintings are often used by fans to advocate new politics, especially after the French July Revolution and the 1848 incident. As a symbol of promoting democracy, Miller's position suddenly stood out, and he was even regarded as a social prophet. 19 Before the 1970s, the French countryside was still under the feudal patriarchal system. Farmers are indifferent to the revolutionary events in the city. They are not very sensitive to new things, plus heavy agricultural labor, hard life and weak self-defense ability, so they take a wait-and-see attitude towards the sudden political storm in Paris. Miller's gleaner also shows this mental state. He is never excited. Miller allowed his revolutionary partners to explain the theme of his works according to their needs. This fact is enough to show that Miller has at least expressed sympathy for contemporary revolutionary events. Besides, the conception of each of his paintings is not accidental. There are about 20 sketches of gleaning. Unlike some of Courbet's paintings, this oil painting did not become an impassioned political speech or social paper. This is a work of art, very beautiful and simple, independent discussion. Its theme is very touching and accurate; But this painting is so frank that it is above the general party struggle, so that it shows a true and great natural chapter, without lying or exaggeration, just like Homer's poem. This is the artistic significance of Miller's gleaner.