Miners Women Carrying Sacks (The Bearers of the Burden) 1881

"Miners Women Carrying Sacks (The Bearers of the Burden)" is a charcoal drawing by Vincent van Gogh, created in 1881. The artwork depicts a group of women, bent over under the weight of heavy sacks, walking across a barren landscape towards a distant town. The composition emphasizes the harshness of their labor, highlighting the burden they carry both physically and metaphorically. The drawing's stark lines and dark tones create a sense of hardship and despair, reflecting van Gogh's early interest in social realism and his compassion for the working class. The artwork, now located in the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo, Netherlands, is a poignant reminder of the struggles of laborers during the Industrial Revolution.