Death and the Woodcutter, 2nd plate (Le mort et le bucheron)

Alphonse Legros

National Gallery of Art

This is a drawing of a skeletal figure in a hooded robe holding a scythe standing over a kneeling man gathering wheat in a natural environment with barren trees and scattered vegetation. The foreground features two primary figures: a skeletal figure on the left and a kneeling man tending to a bundle of wheat on the right. The skeletal figure holds a scythe and appears to be observing the kneeling man. The kneeling man looks startled or afraid, shown by his wide-eyed expression and tense posture. He is in the act of gathering a sheaf of wheat. The background is minimal with leafless trees. The use of line work and cross-hatching creates texture and depth.