Man met spade, mogelijk een heiwerker c. 1884 - 1887

Willem Witsen captured this quick sketch of a man with a spade, likely a pile driver, using pencil on paper. The spade, a simple tool, transcends its utilitarian function, becoming a symbol deeply rooted in our collective consciousness. Consider the figure of the sower, found in ancient Egyptian tomb paintings, casting seeds of life. This archetypal image resonates through time, reappearing in Millet's "The Sower," where the farmer embodies the dignity of labor and the cyclical rhythm of nature. Witsen's pile driver, though engaged in more industrial work, shares this connection to the earth and the act of creation through toil. The bent posture, the straining muscles – these convey a profound sense of human effort, echoing the myth of Sisyphus, forever condemned to push a boulder uphill. The spade, then, is not merely a tool but a conduit to understanding our shared human experience. It speaks to our enduring relationship with the land, a relationship fraught with both promise and struggle.