Arbeiders aan een slijpsteen 1881 - 1899

Jan de Waardt made this drawing of laborers at a grindstone with pen in gray inkt around the turn of the 20th century. During this time, the Netherlands was experiencing rapid industrialization, and artists like De Waardt were increasingly turning their attention to the lives of working-class people. This image captures the physical labor and the communal aspect of work, with two figures focused on their shared task. De Waardt seems to be exploring themes of labor, class, and perhaps even the changing social landscape of the Netherlands. There's an honesty here, a direct engagement with the realities of working-class life, but also a kind of solemnity. The artist invites us to consider the human cost of industry, and the dignity of those who built the modern world.