Zwei senkrechte Friese mit figürlichen Darstellungen 

Bernhard Neher the Younger created this pair of vertical friezes using pen and gray ink over pencil, at an unknown date. Neher, who lived through immense social upheaval in Germany during the 19th century, here captures scenes of labor and leisure which were being redefined during the era. The figures in both friezes are rendered nude or semi-nude in a manner that evokes the classical past, yet, the scenes depicted speak to the emergence of the industrial age. One frieze shows figures engaged in physical labor from construction to agriculture, while the other showcases ethereal beings floating gracefully as they play music. The contrast between the physical and the spiritual, between the working class and the supposed realms of angels, prompts us to reflect on labor, and the human spirit in the industrial age. The use of nude figures engages with a history of representing the body, drawing attention to the ways class and labor shape our very forms. How does the artist seem to position the value of the working man in contrast to classical ideals?