The Builders 1904

This etching, "The Builders" was made by Donald Shaw MacLaughlan, and it looks like he's used delicate lines to create a bustling scene of labour and construction. I love the way the image almost vibrates with energy, the horses pulling the cart piled high with timber, the builders straining and hauling. I can imagine MacLaughlan, watching this scene unfold, wanting to capture the weight and effort. Look at the way he renders the horses. You can see the strain in their muscles, the heavy load they're pulling. What might he have been thinking? Was he interested in the beauty of the scene, or was he trying to say something about the lives of working people? The image reminds me a little bit of Daumier's lithographs, with the same emphasis on the human figure and the gritty realities of urban life. It’s cool how artists across time are kind of in conversation, riffing off one another, seeing the world in new ways and inspiring each other.