Two Draft Horses with a Sleeping Driver 1820 - 1822

Théodore Géricault made this watercolor drawing of draft horses and their sleeping driver sometime in the early 19th century. Géricault has used thin washes of brown and black ink to create this image on paper. Looking closely, we can see that the artist has built up the drawing in layers. The dark, almost monochromatic palette gives a somber mood that's in line with the hardships of labor, and how industrialization affected both people and animals. There is an intense contrast in the fatigue of the driver and horses in the foreground, with the smokestacks of industry in the background. The choice of watercolor as a medium is important here, too. Its fluidity is so well-suited to capture the weariness of these laborers. It makes one wonder what other kinds of unseen labor went into the making of modern life during the Industrial Revolution, from the harvesting of raw materials to the construction of cities. By considering the materials, process, and historical context, we can better understand its significance and relationship to the social and economic shifts of its time.