Arbeid 1899

"Arbeit" (Work) is a lithograph by Dutch artist Jan de Waardt, created in 1899. The work depicts a scene of working-class men laboring in a dimly lit, industrial setting. A man pushes a wheelbarrow while another man shovels in the background, their efforts overseen by a well-dressed gentleman. The lithograph, part of the Rijksmuseum collection, captures the social realities of industrialization and the class divide in late 19th-century Europe. Its stark black and white composition and dramatic use of light and shadow amplify the sense of hardship and toil.