Construction workers 

Théophile Alexandre Steinlen painted these construction workers with oil paint on canvas. These are traditional art materials, but Steinlen uses them to show us something of everyday life. The rough texture suggests the grit and toil of manual labour, and the earth tones he favored reflects the material of urban construction. The workers' faces, etched with lines, and their sturdy figures, are the product of hard physical work. The brushstrokes are loose, almost as if Steinlen sketched them quickly at the construction site. The painting makes us consider not only the labor that went into creating the cityscapes, but also the humanity of the workers themselves. Steinlen invites us to reflect on the working class people who shape our world, and to value their contributions. It’s a reminder that the material of art has a profound connection to the lives it represents, and that the process of making art is also a process of honoring human labor.