Butcher’s Man no date

Editor: This drawing, "Butcher’s Man" by William Roberts, is a curious sketch. It feels almost like a blueprint for a figure. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Consider the butcher as a cultural figure, linking sustenance and mortality. Roberts, born in 1895, lived through immense societal shifts. Does this figure represent a stoic provider, or something more symbolic given the time period? Editor: That's a compelling point. The figure does have a sense of solemnity, doesn't he? Curator: Indeed. And the minimal detail perhaps makes him an archetype, not an individual. It invites us to consider broader themes of labor and existence, wouldn't you agree? Editor: I do. It makes you think about the weight of his job, and the weight he carries on his shoulders, both literally and figuratively.