The Angelus is another example of the Realist movement, this time by artist Jean-François Millet.
Millet represents a scene from his rural childhood.
“I painted the Angelus remembering how, years ago, when working in the fields, my grandmother would make us stop when the bells rung so that we could recite the Angelus."
Like Courbet, Millet rejected the idea of glamourising historical subjects.
He wanted to represent true, authentic experiences.
The Angelus gives us a glimpse into the immutable rhythm of 19th century French rural life.
Fun fact : in the 1960s surrealist painter Dali became obsessed with the painting - creating more than 60 variations of it.
He was convinced the two figures were praying over a coffin.
So in 1963, he got the Louvre to X-Ray the painting...
They found a small coffin-like box exactly where he'd imagined it!