The Barleyfield

Jean Charles Cazin 1841 - 1901

Summary

A field of ripe barley rises in the foreground, with a sprinkling of red poppies in its midst. It fills the lower third of the picture plane, tapering to the right of the canvas to reveal haystacks in a distant field. A line of trees in full leaf behind the ripening crops suggests that this is late summer, at the beginning of harvest. The brightly lit barley and a lingering patch of blue in an otherwise ominously clouded sky evoke the end of a fine, hot day before a storm breaks. Cazin's early work was mainly scenes of contemporary life, but later he turned to painting naturalistic landscapes, particularly of northern France, where he grew up. During his varied life as an artist he also worked as a potter in both England and France. By the end of the 19th century he was exhibiting his paintings and ceranics with equal success.