What movement is Les Fermiers brulés (A Burnt-Out Farmer, Begging with his Family)?

Les Fermiers brulés (A Burnt-Out Farmer, Begging with his Family) is associated with Romanticism.

Can I buy a print of Les Fermiers brulés (A Burnt-Out Farmer, Begging with his Family)?

Museum-quality prints of Les Fermiers brulés (A Burnt-Out Farmer, Begging with his Family) are available made-to-order from Artifact World Gallery.

Artwork

Les Fermiers brulés (A Burnt-Out Farmer, Begging with his Family)

Ange-Laurent de Lalive de Jully , 1764

Les Fermiers brulés (A Burnt-Out Farmer, Begging with his Family) is an ink print by the Romanticist artist Ange-Laurent de Lalive de Jully. It dates from 1764 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. Created in 1764, this etching on laid paper portrays a destitute family in a moment of acute need.

Inscription: Inscribed:In plate, below image at left: Greuse inv.; in plate, below image at right: A. L. DE LALIVE Sculp; in plate, below image, at center: LES FERMIERS BRULÉS. / O vous dont la fortune a comblé tous les voeux / Et qui ne connoissés que des momens aimables, / au milieu de vos jours heureux / Songés qu’il est des miserables.; in plate, above image at left: No. 59

About this work

Overview

Created in 1764, this etching on laid paper portrays a destitute family in a moment of acute need. The central male figure, clad in ragged garments, extends an open hand while his partner sits nearby, head lowered. Their children surround them, some appearing to weep, conveying a stark tableau of poverty and pleading.

Subject & Meaning

The composition captures a scene of familial desperation, suggesting the hardships of agrarian life. The man's gesture and the woman's bowed posture emphasize a collective appeal for assistance, while the children's scattered presence reinforces the vulnerability of the household. The work invites reflection on social inequities and the human cost of economic hardship.

Technique & Style

Executed as an etching, the artist employed incised lines on laid paper to render delicate textures and atmospheric depth. The contrast between dark foreground figures and the lighter background architecture highlights the emotional focus on the family. The handling of line and shading reflects the mid‑18th‑century French printmaking tradition, balancing detail with expressive simplicity.

History & Provenance

The print was produced by Ange‑Laurent de Lalive de Jully, a French engraver active in the mid‑1700s. It entered the collection of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, where it remains part of the institution’s holdings of European prints, representing the social genre scenes that circulated in the period.