De Zaaier, naar Millet, de onderste helft c. 1849 - 1917

Matthijs Maris made this partial print, after Millet, called "De Zaaier, de onderste helft" - or "The Sower, the Lower Half," using etching. The figure of the sower became popular in France with the rise of socialist politics in the 19th century, and this print shows how such a symbol could be borrowed by artists of other countries. Looking at the sower's bare feet, his connection to the earth is clear. It is a dark image, which might speak to the hardship of agricultural labor. Maris worked in the Netherlands, France and Great Britain, and we need to see his place in the art worlds of all three to understand his work fully. Maris lived in a time of great changes in artistic institutions, and a careful look at exhibition records and artists’ societies will help us understand his ambitions as an artist.