The Harvesters

The Harvesters is an oil painting on wood made by Pieter Bruegel the Elder in 1565.

• Many lines draw your eye throughout the work. The implied line made by the rows of harvested wheat, actual line from the unharvested wheat, grassy path, and trees direct your eye back and forth across the piece. The vertical lines of the tree and wheat structures draw your gaze upwards.
• Bruegel also utilizes atmospheric perspective. The people closest to the foreground are in clear focus. The landscape behind them, particularly towards the lake does not have as much detail and fades into the sky.
• There are varying degrees of color saturation to help focus the attention on the foreground. The yellow and green in the foreground is more saturated than the yellow and green in the background. Near the lake, the faint hint of green turns into gray.