The Harvesters

Harvest is underway in the hazy, drowsy heat of July or August. Workers scythe wheat, collect apples, and rest in the shade. The triangular shape of a stooping woman resembles the wheat she gathers, seemingly merging her with the landscape. This painting belonged to a six-part cycle of the seasons commissioned by an Antwerp merchant for his country home’s dining room. Bruegel’s panel shows the peasant laborers in a sympathetic yet idealized light. By foregrounding harmony with nature and the season’s bounty, and by downplaying the difficulty of agricultural labor, Bruegel responded to the desires of his wealthy urban patron.