Which cultural context best connects these lines from the poem to the painting? The archetype of the peasant was more relevant in France than in the United States. Though the archetype of the peasant was common in 19th-century France, Millet’s naturalistic painting broke with tradition. Before Millet’s painting, peasants in French art were depicted in idealized, sometimes in sentimental ways. In the 19th century, peasants often symbolized exploited workers