Work

Pierre Puvis de Chavannes

National Gallery of Art

This is a painting of a group of people, mostly men, engaged in laborious activities outdoors. The people are minimally clothed, with small pieces of cloth wrapped around their waists. On the left, a group of men appear to chop down trees and scrape the bark from them. One of them has a large rope wrapped around his shoulder. In the center, more men appear to forge tools or weapons, all facing a large anvil. Two men behind them appear to move a long rod into or out of a hot fire surrounded by smoke. On the right, two people follow large bulls, one of the people holding a brown sack or bag on their shoulders. In the bottom right corner, a woman lies in the grass, partially covered by a white cloth. A person in a red cloak holds a small child up to her. All of the people have pale skin and hair in shades of blond and brown, and many of the men wear hats or caps. The background features a rocky landscape with distant hills and a body of water near the upper right, with the sky above a pale blue-gray shade. The border of the painting is dark blue adorned with decorative elements, including green leaves, brown branches, and the shapes of tools. The words "LE TRAVAIL" are inscribed in gold at the bottom of the painting.