François Miller was a world-famous painter whose paintings were known for their peasant subjects. Death and the Woodcutter are one of Miller's paintings, and the mystery of the meaning of Death and the Woodcutter remains an unsolved mystery. People wonder why Miller painted death into his paintings, and the mystery of the meaning of death and the woodcutter may only be explained by himself.
Death and woodcutter meaning
Miller was one of the most prominent French painters of the 19th century, famous for his vivid depictions of the miserable situation of peasants, and Death and the Woodcutter is one of Miller's most famous paintings, which is also the most controversial. The scene depicts an elderly woodcutter trying to rest on a slope, but is targeted by death dressed in white. Death is very rare in Miller's work, what was his intention in describing the painting? The mystery of the meaning of death and the woodcutter is puzzling.
In 1859, Miller created the painting Death and the Woodcutter, which was rejected by the salon. A terrifying scene is depicted: an elderly woodcutter tries to rest on a dirt slope, but is targeted by death in white. Death left the viewer with only a shadow on his back, carrying a huge scythe on his shoulder, holding the hourglass timer symbolizing the passage of time in his left hand, and his right hand deadly strangling the old woodcutter's neck, trying to drag him away.
Faced with death, the poor woodcutter clutched the bundle of firewood beside him and struggled helplessly. Miller is known for depicting peasant life, and themes such as "Grim Reaper" are very rare in his work. Seeing such a work, the viewer can't help but wonder, why did Miller depict such a theme?
There is also a version of the mystery of the meaning of death and the woodcutter: the poor woodcutter, carrying a large bundle of firewood, has a hard descent to prepare for his home. He walked for a long time, and he couldn't walk anymore, so he put down his firewood and rested on the side of the road. The woodcutter thought of his own misfortunes: the chaos of soldiers and horses, the harsh payment of miscellaneous taxes, the landlords forcing debts, the servitude of the government, the exhaustion of the year but the lack of clothing, the lack of food... Thinking about it, he felt very helpless, and did not have the courage and confidence to live again. So he called out to death, "I'm really not as good as dying!"
Death heard the cry and immediately came and asked him, "What do you want me to do?" When the woodcutter saw death, he immediately felt a strong fear, and suddenly felt that his previous misfortunes were insignificant, so he replied, "Please help me put this bundle of firewood back on my back, just this, nothing else." The woodcutter struggled again. He thought: It is better to endure the pain and live than to die.
Life is a dangerous, changeable, beautiful and deceptive thing, and it is always tolerable, whether one's fate is good or bad, valuable or worthless, even in the worst cases. The fact that cannot be changed, only learn to accept! Of course, this is only a speculation, and the mystery of the meaning of death and the woodcutter may only be answered by the author himself.
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