Three men digging c. 1812 - 1820

"Three Men Digging" is a pencil drawing by Spanish artist Francisco Goya, dated c. 1812-1820. The drawing depicts four men engaged in hard labor, one using a pickaxe, their bodies contorted in a flurry of motion. Goya's signature use of loose lines and stark contrasts in this work captures the grueling realities of manual labor, a theme prevalent in his later works. This drawing is a testament to his keen observation of human form and his ability to convey the physicality of work with powerful immediacy.