‘In The Barnyard (Allegory of Spring)’ was painted by an Italian painter Jacopo dal Ponte in the second half of the 16th century. He took the name ‘Bassano’ from his hometown, where he worked most of the time. The town was peaceful, and shepherds grazed sheep right outside its walls. This influenced the artist’s mindset strongly — he fell in love with the rural way of life and would often depict it in his works.

In this painting, Jacopo Bassano painted the villagers’ usual routine: they fill the buckets with milk, feed the goats, and take away the provision. The image of unhurried work with the trees and flowers in the background conveys a sense of calmness. Another title of the painting — ‘Allegory of Spring’ — suggests that the artist intended to reflect the joyous awakening of nature in spring.

In this painting the artist created a complex nulti-figure composition, typical for his other works. At the same time, he arranged parts of the composition in such a balanced way so that each person in the painting seems to be in their proper place. The artist’s affection for such scenes was described by the critic Alexandre Benois. He noted that,