The Ploughman
1800
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1800
watercolor
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
This painting shows a person sitting on a plow pulled by two horses. One horse is white with a black harness, the other is brown. The background has rolling hills, a distant village, and a pale sky. The brushstrokes are loose, with muddy colors and visible water marks. The artist focused on rough, everyday farm work, not polished scenes. The horses look tired, and the person’s face is blurred—maybe to show hard labor, not detail. Look up Romanticism next to see how artists used nature and real-life struggles in their work.
