Maaiende boer 1784 - 1826

Jacob Ernst Marcus created this drawing of a farmer in the late 18th or early 19th century using graphite on paper. The medium itself is unassuming, yet the image it renders speaks volumes about labor and class. The drawing's strength lies in its simplicity. The softness of graphite is ideal for capturing the texture of the farmer's roughspun clothing, the wooden plough, and the freshly cut hay. Note the jug sitting on the ground. The farmer's connection to the land is palpable. What's really interesting is the contrast between the labor of the farmer, and the ease with which Marcus has captured him at work. It makes you consider the politics of representation, and how we assign value to labor. This drawing encourages us to appreciate the skill and effort involved in both agriculture and art, and to question the social structures that often obscure them.