Oxcart 

Károly Lotz painted this image of an oxcart, which encapsulates the traditional Hungarian rural life of the 19th century. Lotz elevates the day-to-day experience of rural workers, who would often have been poor, into a scene of pastoral dignity. He was a key figure in Hungarian art, at a time when artists were deeply engaged in nation-building. The painting evokes the lives of agricultural laborers, the backbone of Hungary's economy, highlighting their connection to the land. We see the exploitation of the natural world and the subjugation of animals. The heavy load represents the burden of the working class, while the man on top directs the labor of the oxen below him. Lotz asks us to empathize with lives that are not our own and offers a complex view into Hungary's historical and cultural identity.