The Wheat Harvest
Oil on canvas, 64.5×117.5 cm
1900
Siena, Collection of the Società di Esecutori di Pie Disposizioni
This painting was sent to the Società di Esecutori di Pie Disposizioni in 1901 as the second sample of his work for the Biringucci fellowship, with the request that the fellowship granted by the committee be renewed for another year. The scene offers a sweeping view of the countryside, with wheat fields stretching uninterruptedly to the low horizon, where they meet a pale blue sky with big white clouds blown by the wind. In the centre two girls are hard at work gathering the wheat, while other harvesters can be seen in the distance. But here the toil of farm labour appears glorified by the comforting beauty of the country with its seasonal rhythms, shared by the persons who love and care for it.