Die Holzfäller 

Albin Egger-Lienz created this artwork, Die Holzfäller, using earthy tones to portray lumberjacks amidst their strenuous work. The axes these figures wield are not merely tools for felling trees; they are ancient symbols of power, decision, and transformation. The motif of the axe echoes through history, resonating with the Roman fasces, emblems of authority and justice. In ancient rituals, the axe was a symbol of sacrifice and purification, a means of severing ties with the old to make way for the new. Consider how this symbol has evolved—from the hands of executioners to the hands of these laborers. The emotional intensity of the work, their stooped postures, the rhythm of their labor, all convey a sense of primal struggle, of man against nature. The lumberjacks' actions are a potent reminder of our own mortality and the continuous cycle of destruction and regeneration. This continuous cycle evokes a sense of the cyclical nature of life, in which old forms make way for new beginnings.