A pair of rural workers rest in a sunlit field in Hay Making, painted by Jules Bastien-Lepage in 1877 using oil on canvas. The composition places the figures in the foreground: a woman sits on the grass with her hands in her lap, her gaze directed away from the viewer, while a man reclines behind her, hat over his face. Their clothing is plain and work-worn, and a metal pail lies beside them.

The landscape stretches into the distance with haystacks, sparse trees, and distant hills under a pale sky, rendered in muted greens and browns. Hay Making was completed during a period when French artists were increasingly drawn to scenes of rural labor, reflecting the realities of peasant life in the late nineteenth century. Jules Bastien-Lepage was known for his naturalistic approach and careful observation, and this work exemplifies his focus on the everyday experiences of rural people. The painting is in the Musée d'Orsay in Paris; Émile Zola saw it as the masterpiece of naturalism in painting.