Horse-driven Mill (Le manege) 

Alphonse Legros created this print, "Horse-driven Mill," using etching. It is a process of impressing an image onto a metal plate with acid, then using that plate to make multiple prints on paper. Here, the dense cross-hatching gives a gritty feel, perfectly capturing the scene's toil and labor. Look closely, and you’ll see a horse endlessly walking in a circle, turning the millstone. Nearby, monks work, one drawing water, another seemingly reading. The scene shows a stark contrast between the animal's labor and the monks' contemplative life. Legros was deeply interested in social realism, often depicting rural life and the working class with empathy. Etching, with its capacity for detailed lines and tonal variations, was an ideal medium for conveying the textures of the working environment and the weight of labor. The print underscores how art can highlight everyday life and the social structures underlying it. Legros elevates the scene to more than just a depiction; it's a commentary on the nature of work.