Studies van een arbeider 1874 - 1925

Jan Veth created this drawing, "Studies van een arbeider," using graphite on paper. The grainy texture of the graphite lends itself beautifully to the subject matter, depicting a worker pausing in labor, perhaps to catch his breath or adjust his grip on a tool. The inherent qualities of graphite - its softness and ability to create subtle gradations of tone - enable Veth to capture the worker's stooped posture and the weight of his labor, and to further imbue it with social and cultural significance. The roughness of the medium mirrors the roughness of the worker's life, a life of toil etched onto the paper. Veth, known for his social realism, engages with a skilled tradition of draftsmanship, yet elevates the everyday worker to a subject worthy of artistic attention. The amount of physical work involved in the worker's life is evident, contrasting with the relative ease with which Veth captures the scene on paper. Here, the material and the making are inextricably linked to wider social issues of labor and class, challenging traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.