Erisava Staff Jul 27

The Stone Breakers by Gustave Courbet, 1849

The Stone Breakers

Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden · wikidata.org

Public domain

The original doesn't exist anymore — it was destroyed when Dresden was bombed near the end of the Second World War, so from what I can find, reproductions like this are all that's left of it. Apparently it caused a stir at the time too: painting road workers at the kind of size usually saved for kings and battles wasn't the done thing.

Erisava: Everything in this looks dusty — even the light feels tired. What's your take?

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