Initial thoughts
A close look at the photograph shows a concern of artist6 for the plight of the lower class in the society. The photograph shows two men labor in an effort to remove and break the stone from a road on construction. One of the two men is quite young for such hard labor, and the other man is too old to carry out heavy duties. The painter must have been trying to express the hardship feelings and exhaustion that the poor go through in the society. There is sympathy for these tow laborers, and disgust for the rich in the society.
Aspect of interest
My eyes were quickly drawn to the powerful bulldozers and jackhammers that the two laborers are using in the painting. These are heavy tools that could have only used by those punished in the society. It must have been the painter’s intention to portray the two men as those performing duties that they can only carry out when faced with no other option. Besides, these two peasants are wearing tattered and ripped clothing to show that their earnings may not be enough to afford both food and clothing. They only do the job to ensure their survival.
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The historical context of the period
The painting was done during the Realism and Imperialism period when the French monarchy had declined and there was excitement among the people who were eager to experience a new democracy that had come with the new rule. It was painted in 1848 CE. This gave the artists the hope of reflecting on the life of their people rather than having paintings that only portrayed romanticism at a time where there was a lot of suffering for the poor in the society. According to them, it was a tie for the paintings to be a direct reflection of the modern rule with the greater democracy (Young, 2016). There was no need for continued smiling from the poor peasant farmers who were receiving nothing but low remuneration that could only ensure their survival in the society. It was time to reject such kind of mistreatment of the poor by the rich in the society.
Biographical insights into the work
There is an aspect of the painter’s personal life from the painting. For instance, the photo shows the two stonebreakers set against a common hill which is most evident in the rural towns of Ornans in France. The artist had been raised and spent most of his time in this place (Bade, 2014). Having a close look at the painting shows the hill reaching the canvas top in the whole painting except in the upper right corner of the painting while a tiny bright blue-sky patch is shown. This is aimed at isolating the two stonebreakers and suggest how they have been economically and physically trapped in their work. The depiction of a too young boy and too old man in the painting is accurately meant to show the deprivation and abuse that was quite evident in France where the artist had been born and spent much of his time.
Period theme or style
The theme most reflective is the ‘Age of doubt’. The painting was done in 1849 at a time when the crown was lost by King Louis-Philippe of France and was then replaced by Louis Napoleon Bonaparte. This meant that there was no monarchy anymore and there were chances of new democracy for the people. There was a lot of excitement in the French people. The painters saw this as the opportune time to show their rejection towards the monarchial rule, and paint about the real activities that were taking place in the country rather than paintings of romanticism (Young, 2016). They wanted a direct reflection of the life of the people in the society. The poor farm workers had become contended with the dangerous jobs they did for a living and did not even complain of the little remuneration they received for their work. The work, therefore, was a reflection of the plight of the poor especially after the uprising of the laborers against the bourgeois in 1848. The painting reflects the age of doubt with the uprising of labor and the monarchy happening during this period.
Relevance to today
The themes touched by the painting are still relevant to the current society of the United States where a lot of people still complain of low remuneration especially those working in the plantations. There was a combination of both political and social themes in the photograph which still influence the current artists in painting, singing and advocating for the plight of the workers in the country (Jones, 2015). It is because of this painting that people have the sympathy for the poor who are ready to carry out any activity so as to ensure their survival and that of their families.
Effects of analysis on perception
On more research of the photograph, I realized that this was not Courbet’s first painting. All his paintings had political themes basically because of the political influence and love he had for his country. For instance, he had a personal military sense for certain periods in his life such as between 1848 and 1851 and went to the extent of getting involved in the 1871 Paris Commune, and his late his exile. Therefore, this was a painter that was used to creating a rural fork and simple paintings that were quite influential works in realism. This was a painting that focused on an unheroic and simple subject through unconventional methods. This was a painting that was only interested in representing the very poor people of the society.
References
Bade, P. (2014). Courbet . Parkstone International.
Jones, P. (2015). Painting And Politics: Renato Guttuso at the Estorick Collection. Journal of Modern Italian Studies , 20 (4), 571-573.
Young, M. (2016). The Effects of Realism: Or the Estrangement of the Background. Architectural Design , 86 (6), 58-65.
