Siesta of a Laborer (Sieste d'un ouvrier) 

Alphonse Legros made this etching, “Siesta of a Laborer.” The medium of etching is crucial here. Lines are bitten into a metal plate with acid, then inked and printed. Look closely, and you can see how Legros used this process to describe not only the figure of a weary worker slumped at a table, but also the very atmosphere of the scene. The many fine lines create a hazy effect, as if we are seeing the scene through a heat shimmer, or perhaps through the worker's own exhaustion. The stark contrast between the dark lines and the white paper also speaks to the hard conditions of labor, where rest is a rare and precious commodity. Legros wasn't just making a pretty picture; he was using the language of craft to make a social statement. It reminds us that art is always made by someone, under particular conditions, and with a point of view.