The Angelus by Jean-Francois Millet #history #art

[HistorybyMae]

X-rays reveal the hidden layers of a painting, sketches or original renderings that were painted over.

The angelus was traditionally recited three times a day: at 6 a.m., noon, and 6 p.m. The prayer is usually accompanied by the ringing of bells in Christian communities.

Salvador Dalí had seen a reproduction of the painting on the wall of his childhood school and claimed to have been spooked by it. He felt the basket looked like the coffin of a child and the woman looked like a praying mantis. The Louvre made an X-ray of the painting on request of Dali and It appeared that there originally was a black box instead of the basket of potatoes and Dali interpreted it as a baby coffin.
The theory is that Millet originally painted a burial but then converted it to a recitation of the Angelus.

[DenpaKei]

The xray shows a casket inside of a freshly dug hole in the ground next to another shovel that's also been painted over. I'm sure he had his reasons for changing his mind, but the composition makes so much more sense knowing the original concept

[Noltie]

I love how it seems to be telling two tragic stories about hunger. Through famine they feel truly grateful for the potatoes, yet it wasn’t enough to save their baby. The difficult duality of mourning your child, and at the same time feeling grateful to eat - and survive the famine that took them from you.

[Huawei_]

The emotion in the painting is atounishing, even though you cant see their faces, you can imagine them. The pain in their eyes, their expression.... Truly a master at work

[teresabianchi]

the painting is called "the angelus" which is a prayer done at sunrise, midday and sunset. in the distance you can see a village and the bell tower of the church that has probably just rung to let the people know it's time to pray. the artist has written many letters about this particular memory from his childhood where his grandmother would make him take off his hat and pray solemnly at this time of day

[johnnyMcSheep]

Only a true artist can sense another true artist's emotions

[theoccasionalsnickerdoodle]

My great-grandmother always had this painting in her nursing home, and I just thought it was referencing the potato famine that her Irish family fled. She passed away almost 5 years ago and i recently found out that she had a stillborn child, and the painting makes so much more sense now.

[hilol]

My great uncle knew Dali and was friends with him and painted at his house all the time. It is one of my favourite facts about my mums side of the family.

[fierceperedur]

That's heavy. Dali was hyper sensitive.

[rmills]

"The heaviest burdens are in the smallest coffins"- E. Hemmingway 😢

[karakoc]

That makes so much more sense than a pensive couple praying over a basket of potatoes. It's a powerful painting. There can't be a deeper pain than losing a child.

[VanessaLong-kh]

Just love art. I had always loved Monet but then in college I took two art history classes and just fell head over heels for all Art and Artist. The stories they can tell

[Maria-igbd]

I've stopped work in the fields many a time to pray the Angelus, but it was never so sad. Makes sense.

[DontAskBme]

A sad, but extremely relevant topic of the day. Infant mortality was a very real part of life for couples. One could expect half their children to not make it past the age of 6. 😭

[kika_marie]

Wow. A replica of this is in front of me right now. It’s been here in my parents living room all my life. The last few days it’s been drawing my heart. My baby died two years ago. This is crazy.

[franksnbeans]

As soon as I saw it I said that's not potatoes that's a baby. The portrayal of emotion in this painting is incredible

[MGMG-lcfe]

Artists are stricken with such intuitive knowledge because they speak to the hearts and minds. This type of loss is inconsolable, and can cause a restless soul. Moving selection this morning thank you always Mae ✨

[Some_guy_with_gamez]

I knew the minute they were looking at the ground and praying together. It could only mean one thing in times like that.

[cringirl]

Wow, poignant, heart wrenching, really thank you, art is love

[jgbs]

I’ve had an interest in this painting for the longest time, it’s so sad but in a tender way