Homme de peine 1901

"Homme de peine" (1901) is an etching by Belgian artist Pieter Dupont. It depicts a laborer in a dramatic pose, working with a long shovel, his muscles and the texture of his clothing rendered with impressive detail. The background shows a bridge and a river, adding a sense of scale and context to the figure’s solitary labor. The subject matter and style are typical of Social Realism, which focuses on the lives of the working class and aims to depict social issues in a realistic manner.