Kelsey Dunigan

Dr. Marilyn Dunn

April 8, 2015
FNAR 201
Song of the Lark An Analysis

The painting Song of the Lark (Figure 1) is mysterious in its meaning yet striking in its
portrayal. A lone young woman standing in a field at the break of dawn is simple but her stance

and mouth agape leaves the viewer wondering. As soon as one enters the gallery in which it is
displayed, the eye is instantly drawn to the sun and the womans expression. It is a piece that
draws in the viewer and evokes a sense of wonder of who the woman is and what she will do
next. Although Jules Breton (1827-1906) created this piece in France, the mystery and prowess
of the painting has resonated with many worldwide. In particular, the United States and the
countrys rural community. It has also affected celebrities such as Bill Murray1 and won
competitions among American citizens2. In the following pages, the quality, style and influence
of this piece will be analyzed.
Song of the Lark is an oil on canvas painting completed in 1884, in the height of the Realism
movement of the late nineteenth century. It is located at the Art Institute Chicago. It features a
young peasant woman standing in a field at dawn. The style in which Brenton painted Song of
the Lark lends to the overall emotion of the painting. Figures and items are clear such as the
houses and barns in the background, and the woman is clearly defined with a strong sense of
natural movement and anatomy. However, the woman is clearer than the landscape. Her toes are
defined, wisps of hair jet from the side of her face and her facial features have toning. The
chiaroscuro on the fabric of the shirt is natural and deep. There is almost no chiaroscuro in the
rest of her outfit which draws the viewer to the bright white shirt and up to her face. This makes
the viewer focus on her rather than the landscape. The haziness that Brenton has left through an
almost blurring of the landscape provides a softness. It is calming for the eyes and is almost as if
you, the viewer, are personally staring off in the distance. The ground of the landscape is also
11. Cindy Pearlman, The Art Institute Moment That Saved Bill Murrays Life, Chicago Sun Times,
2014, http://entertainment.suntimes.com/movies/art-institute-movement-saved-bill-murrays-career/, 8
April 2015.
22. Richard R. Brettell, Jules Breton and the French Rural Tradition, Art Journal 43, no. 2 (1983):
194.
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hazy and not particularly defined. Breton uses a process of dabbing, small dashes and fine
alteration of colors to give a richness to the ground.
Color is also a major feature of the painting. If the viewer is not drawn to the woman first,
they are surly drawn to the bright pink-orange sun on the horizon. A majority of the colors used
in Song of the Lark are subtle and earth-toned. However, the sun is a focal point and pops against
the subdued scenery. This sun brings focus to the fact that it is morning, a new day and light will
soon be upon the entire countryside. It marks the beginning, the young woman has only begun to
walk out to the field. There is so much that could happen. This provides a sense of optimism and
encouragement that there is potential even for this simple peasant girl. The sun also gives the sky
an orange-yellow tone. Shades of light blue frame the horizon on the bottom and all corners. The
sun is moving in and clearing out the dark of the night as the day begins. Also in the sky there is
one single lark towards the left of the painting. It is very small and has very little detail, but it is
venturing out on its own just as the woman is. This similar journey connects her with the bird as
they both begin their day. The crop or field in which she is walking is two-toned. Towards the
homestead it is painted a lush green. Closer to the bottom of the painting, the ground is more
yellow and brown. It could have been recently harvested, it is a different crop or that the crop has
failed. In any of these cases, the contrast in color of the two crops could represent the beginning
and end, the life and death of a crop. Or if could portray the work that is left to be done by the
woman, linking back to the sun and the mark of a new day full of opportunity.
Artists of Realism were rejecting Romanticism and lent their eyes towards more simplistic and
common subjects. For Jules Breton and others such as Jean-Franois Millet (1814-1875) the
main focus was on peasant life in the countryside. A majority of his works are influenced by his
childhood home of Courrires. This village provided Breton a constant reference to rural life and

scenery.3 Most of his time was spent in France, visiting only a handful of other countries in his
lifetime. His sense of home and attachment to land is portrayed through his works and in Song of
the Lark. This apparent love of nature led him to focus on landscapes and the people therein.
Often times he would paint landscape scenes with only one or a few subjects. This helped him
develop an appreciation for peasant life. This focus on nature, scenery and the intense details of
subjects has been one the greatest contributions to art of Bretons time.
Breton did have formal artistic and academic training. However, most of his influence came
by way of interacting with peasants or people working the countryside. He rarely brought models
into his studio. Observing natural movement and actions of peasants has been praised for it lacks
in fabrication and exudes a true sense of reality. Breton is quoted as saying We would study the
street and the fields in greater depth; we would become familiar with the passions and feelings of
humble folk and art would pay tribute to them tribute that was once reserved exclusively for
the gods and the great.4 This tribute Breton discuses is portrayed in all of his works, but is
particularly illustrated in Song of the Lark. The young womans stance with most of her weight
on the front foot, chin slightly up and dark eyes intently staring off gives her a sense of greatness.
The simplicity of her outfit leads the viewer to focus less on her clothing and more on the
emotion and figure of the young woman. There is some muscle definition seen in her arms and
slender neck. Not so much muscular definition that it distracts from her feminine qualities, but
just enough definition that she is seen as hardy, strong and honorable. Bretons previous quote
stating that a sense of tribute was only associated with gods and the great, is completely

33.
Annette Bourrut Lacouture, Jules Breton, painter of peasant life (New Haven: Yale Univeristy in
association with the National Gallery of Ireland, 2002), 21.
44.

Bourrut Lacouture, Jules Breton, 16.

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shaken in Song of the Lark. He has made the peasant, commoner, and worker the god or the
great.
The intensity in which her body appears to hold provides a feeling of pride and dignity,
something that one usually did not associate with peasantry. However, Breton is attempting to
show the viewer that peasantry is beautiful, even admirable. This idea of beauty of countryside
and beauty of the people that work it was accepted by many. In particular rural people of the
United States connected strongly to Bretons Song of the Lark. It was purchased by American
millionaires of the late nineteenth century and circulated all over the American Midwest, landing
in places such as Nebraska and Minnesota. The painting ended its journey at the Art Institute of
Chicago (where it still resides on display) and in 1834 Song of the Lark was voted most popular
picture in America in a contest sponsored by the Chicago Tribune.5 This deep connection that
Americans of the Midwest and other rural communities have with the painting attests to the
importance of a simple life Breton displays in Song of the Lark. It is relatable to those in farming
or peasantry yes also engaging to those outside of those realms.
To continue on the analysis of the young woman in the painting, there is some mystery
surrounding her agape mouth. The title of Song of the Lark allows some vagueness that entices
the viewer to engage and develop their own meaning. Some view the painting and believe that
she is singing either her own tune or to the sound of the lark, thus the title of the work. She is
heading out to the fields at dawn and beginning her day with a song accompanied by the larks.
Another interpretation a viewer could have of the agape mouth is that she is standing in some
kind of shock or state of awe. This interpretation leaves room for a more mysterious meaning to
the painting. It is unclear as to where the woman is looking, if her mouth is open due to seeing

55.

Brettell, Jules Breton and the French Rural Tradition, 194.

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something, one wonders what she could be looking at. The main subject of the painting is the girl
and her subtle action, but the intention or true meaning of the action is unclear.
Regardless of ones interpretation, there is a clear connection between the woman and nature
in the piece. Breton liked to focus on female subjects in his works. The depiction of women in art
has varied and changed throughout the centuries. During the late nineteenth century, peasant
women increasingly appeared in artwork. Song of the Lark and Jules Breton are no exception to
this trend. Women were often depicted with nature because of the connection that people
commonly make between the two. Nature and women are supposed to nurture and be
aesthetically beautiful. Some feminist art critics such as Linda Noclin have connected the
portrayal of rural women to an untamed and authentic sexuality. However, in Song of the Lark,
this sexual force may be veiled in idealization. 6 Instead of blatantly depicting the womans
sexuality, Breton glamorizes her and provides a more classic, pure and enticing portrayal. She
appears to possess both innocence and a strength that could make her more desirable than a
woman who is clearly depicted for an erotic purpose. The sickle in her hand and the partially
green pasture in the background could hint at fertility and reproduction. Growth, fruit and crops
are often equated to fertility and the sickle in her hand could be a symbol that not only is she
going to harvest the crop, but that she herself is also prepared for bearing a child.
In conclusion, Song of the Lark by Jules Breton possesses numerous artistic qualities that
have led to the success of the painting across the world. The mystery of the woman keeps the
viewer engaged, which the color catches the eyes and creates a sense of calm. The woman
illustrates both peasant life and the connection between femininity and nature. This connection
sheds light on the views of woman at the time as nurturing yet free and untamed. Peasant life
66.
20.

Linda Nochlin, Women, Art, and Power and Other Essays (New York: Harper & Row, 1988). 19-

was yielded a new perspective due to the idealized paintings such as Song of the Lark and this
resonated with many people in the rural lifestyle. Overall, this painting is one of emotion,
excitement and encourages contemplation.

Figure 1. Jules Breton, Song of the Lark, ca. 1884. Oil on canvas, 43 x 33 . Art Institute
Chicago, Chicago.

Bibliography
Brettell, Richard R. Jules Breton and the French Rural Tradition. Art Journal 43, no. 2 (1983):
194-197. Taylor & Francis Online (accessed March 18, 2015).
Bourrut Lacouture, Annette. Jules Breton, painter of peasant life. New Haven: Yale University
Press in association with the National Gallery of Ireland, 2002.
Nochlin, Linda. Women, Art, and Power and Other Essays. New York: Harper & Row, 1988.
Pearlman, Cindy. The Art Institute Moment That Saved Bill Murrays Life. Chicago Sun Times,
2014. http://entertainment.suntimes.com/movies/art-institute-movement-saved-bill-murrays
career/, 8 April 2015.