In “The Song of the Lark,” French artist Jules Breton creates a simple scene in which a girl’s enraptured expression elicits an immense emotional reaction. Breton (1827 – 1906) was walking though a field early one morning when he heard the song of a lark, a bird that only sings when flying. Attempting to see it, he found it by following the spellbound gaze of a peasant girl who was intently listening. Breton excelled at revealing the beauty within peasants in his romanticized works. This piece is not only exquisite in its simplicity, but a humanitarian portrayal of someone often dismissed as one of society’s outcasts.

© Art.com