Abklatsch van de krijttekening op pagina 11 recto c. 1886 - 1888

This drawing is by Anton Mauve, created at an unknown date and held in the Rijksmuseum. At first glance, the pale and smudged graphite lines create a subdued, almost ghostly impression. The composition is sparse, dominated by the figures of two laborers bending to their tasks. Mauve's marks are economical, using line to define form and suggest movement. Notice the way the figures are hunched, their bodies forming curved lines that echo the earth they till. The texture is soft and blurred, almost as if the scene is viewed through mist. This ethereality invites us to consider the symbolic weight of labor. In line with a semiotic approach, we might see this not just as a depiction of work, but as a signifier for broader social and existential themes. The blurring of the lines and the absence of detail render the laborers anonymous, elevating them to archetypes of human toil. This formal quality of the artwork connects aesthetics with the philosophical undercurrents prevalent during Mauve's time.