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In Denmark we have an expression: "at stille træskoene" literally that means something like "to take off your wooden shoes". That expression means that that person has died. I never noticed that detail before, but I am sure that the painters intention is to tell us that the man has died (from working too much). Also, the fact that she´s looking to the side instead of up towards the sky could be implying that she does not believe in God. At the time this was very provocative to the bourgeoisi. By the way I´m danish and studied art history. Love your videos

My dad died of heart failure after working himself too hard for decades to take care of us. This painting and your video mean a lot to me. Thanks man

I didn’t think this painting was much known outside of Denmark. I’m happy that it gets international exposure via this channel and UKposts.

this painting feels so unfair so painful that i cant help but see my own reflection on it. I live in Turkey and as days pass its getting so hard to live. The poor people are getting more and more poor and rich ones are getting richer. Nobody cant afford anything anymore even hospitals. They work harder and harder only to die in pain. As being someone from middle class i can see that i am getting poor too. İ just wanna be saved at this point.

I see a daughter and her father...i am a single father and this picture creates such existential angst....as an old anarchist it is powerful on another level as well....i dont live in a first world country, all that stands between abject poverty and my children is me. This painting captures my unspoken fear.

One of the most powerful scenes I’ve seen, got me captivated at the age of 6. Was painstakingly trying to ask mom if the man was ok in the end

I can’t believe how good this analysis is. The narration so smooth, perfectly slow and clear. Such professional work. Sublime.

This painting was also used as an album cover for a Danish black metal band; Afsky All of the song lyrics on the album are old (some very old) Danish poems.

I live right by the museum where this painting hangs and it's really, really huge. My grandma and I often go there and she absolutely loves it and I really get it. It's honestly so powerful. The size of it, the motive, the colours used, the expressions, the strokes. Seeing it in real life is really an experience.

Aside from the political, socioeconomic overtones you've elaborated, the painting itself is skillful and beautiful. Painted entirely in earth tones I see nothing industrial in this scene. I see a man whose life was perhaps as united to the soil as his imminent death will join him forever to it. The despair of the woman seems personal. The drama takes place on an an empty field. Although they are a pair, she is very much alone.

This work was exhibited in Paris at the worlds fair in 1889 next to Munich’s paintings. The screaming woman in this painting, and the Peruvian mummy Munch also saw at the 1889 worlds fair, were the major influences for Munchs Scream 4 year later, early drafts of which, he started just after the 1889 worlds fair. Such a powerful painting, thanks for a good video!

I could feel the pain and anguish in that woman's face.....among other things as well. If art can accentuate reality, this artist succeeded.

This conveys to me the shock and anger of unexpected grief. There was no cosy bedroom scene and goodbyes just an unforeseen & sudden demise.

Well done. Great take on this painting. The upper class also ironically worked people (sometimes to death) diligently for a pleasant aesthetics. Their world was surrounded by dainty flower motifs and so scenes of peasants were often limited to tiny canvases. Those scenes were not meant to show harsh realities. Beautiful presentation. I look forward to more.

Id never heard of this before. That painting is absolutely incredible.

One of the interpretations that I was taught in school about the dynamic between the man and woman, is that they are either husband and wife or father and daughter, a family. Her panic and helpless in this interpretation, partly stems from the fact that her future is now very, very uncertain. The man, although decrepit and poor, earned them some kind of life. Now that he's gone, what's going to happen to her? She cannot employ farmhands, she cannot work the soil herself, she cannot own land and therefore cannot rent it out. Her life as she knows it is suddenly falling through her fingers like sand. Most likely, she will end up in the "fattiggård", a home (in the most vague sense of the word, more like a prison) for the very poor, who could not take care of themselves. They would be stripped of their rights as citizens, and forced to pay off their debt to society by menial labor. Her children, if she has any, taken from her. The family ripped apart, deemed "unworthy" of the luxury of personal preferences and personal relationships. Likely she, and all the others like her, would never return to society again, lost to inescapable poverty. This immense weight has suddenly been thrust upon her, like a relentless natural disaster. This she has to battle with, while also grieving her personal loss. It is such a sad, sad painting. Another fantastic painting, also a danish social realism, is "Summum Jus Summa Injuria" with the secondary title "The child murder".

One thing I always found fascinating with this painting is in how gently she holds the fallen man's head, which makes me believe more that she is the man's daughter or daughter-in-law. The man seems much older than the woman, and with the house in the background it could be that she saw he had fallen from the window and went out to him. Large rocks do need to be removed before a field can be ploughed, so perhaps that is what the man was doing.

You're right. This is a painting of working class/peasant life, done on a monumental scale precisely in order to challenge bourgeois complacency. I find it magnificent, either because of or despite its empty, bare-earth setting; but also chilling and truthful. The woman at the centre is panicked, angry, grief-stricken, but also forceful - the kind of force that can change the world for the better.

I had never seen this painting. But Andrew Wyeth’s “Christina’s World” seems to have been lifted directly from it. Both powerful.

Thank you for the video & the subject. Clogs were not just Dutch but practical & cheap footwear for the poor. It is worth noting that the French for clog is Sabot hence Saboteur. Before the 20th Century retirement was a luxury, people had to work until they dropped unless they had family to house & feed them. In the UK there was the spectre of the Workhouse for the indigent poor. These were little more than prisons where the sexes were separated (family life curtailed). Short rations, basic conditions, harsh rules & only those children coming of age had a chance of escape. This is why they called it grinding poverty! Unemployment, accident, illness & a failed harvest could result in starvation or death.

My introduction to this painting was a black metal album cover. The album was "Ofte Jeg Drømmer Mig Død" by Afsky.

Having studied some art years ago, I'm surprised I've never seen this painting before. It's extraordinary and as large as it is must have made quite an impression when it was shown. Thank you for presenting it.

What a masterpiece. Look at their faces. Their whole world is in their faces.

in denmark we often analysed this picture in school it has it all: shapes, colours, composition, feelings, specific time and trend in arthistory and most importantly *politics* and it's VERY easy to understand, even as a kid. edit: also I am fairly sure she is screaming "hjælp" meaning help in danish. It, unlike the english "help", actually makes your mouth and tung make that shape I might be wrong tho :0

I like the idea how you were invited to a celebration so you went "I'm gonna create the most criticizing and bold art piece possible"

I've seen this paintings a few times by now. It really is huge in real life and it's just as striking every time.

Bravo, Shawn. Exactly what I needed to bring me out of my dwelling on the things to do today... moving irrigation water, tending the plants, harvesting a few vegetables for dinner... and in this heat maybe I will "tip over" in my field. But I am not quite so lost as the subjects here, and for that I will be thankful... and I will be aware that for some, we choose this lifestyle, but for others, there is little or no choice. Keep up the amazing work.❤

Didn't expect to be brought to tears by an art analysis video but here we are

Your knowledge of the art you share and the context around it, the little details about the artists themselves and other bits of humanity you bring to art analysis, you make me remember why art is just so essential to life as an outlet and also as an insight into society and why I need to spend more time looking at, thinking about and creating art. Also your voice and manner of describing things make it so I could watch/listen to your channel all day every day. And…will be spending at least part of today doing so. Thank you! And this painting is chilling on its own and that much more profound with your added research and explanation.

Also, it's incredibly difficult to do both things at the same time: hold his head up gently from the ground and yell violently with all her might. The body just isn't designed to do two opposite things simultaneously. Actually, I would argue that it's nearly impossible. I think that's worth considering.

I will never not not regret supporting you and your channel. I think we need more of that. In our world and our lives. Art is such a powerful tool for expression and so embedded in our deepest emotional responses. And you give it the space, the reflection and the intensity it deserves. Thank you from the very depth of my soul.

I really appreciated the analysis, but what I think is missing is…the fear we all have of what will happen to our world when the curtain drops on our life. Our inanimate body, the fear and anguish of those who are left behind, things left unsaid and undone, the great unknown of the world going on without us and wondering what will happen to everything we had known. At least for myself, this is what I fear about death, and this painting does a good job of making me think of such things…as good art should.

I have never seen this picture before. Thank you for an excellent analysis

Paintings have a mysterious way of conveying emotion that can't be transmitted by a photograph. We get to step into the artist's own mind and experience the moment as them.

The Band Afsky is giving the perfect music to that picutre!

Not just anger, but also anguish.

A wonderful, informative, moving presentation. Thank you. At one point in my life, I was that woman. Structural violence describes it so perfectly.

Thank you for introducing me to a great artist that was unknown to myself

beautiful video, and beautiful works. the colors of that snowy autumn scene at 0:13 are breathtaking

As a dane, i love seeing people taking up danish artists. Thank you for the video😁.

This is the most beautiful & heartbreaking analysis of a painting ever. As a former artist and daughter of an Italian artist in the classical style and training, my appreciation for your presentation is beyond words.. Thank you so much.

Excellent analysis and presentation. We all have ancestors who toiled in work fields, with little prospects beyond hoping their grandchildren would have an easier life. But they persevered. They are the real heroes.

I'm currently working on a painting of a family of founding stock dutch descendants in south Africa ( Afrikaners ) being killed on a farm . This video really helps me understand the importance of artists capability to project truth through a single painting

The painting of the woman and the old person in the field instantly reminded me of the 1970 photograph called "The Kent State Pieta".

Thanks for profiling this painting, it is one of my favorites. It hangs on our local art museum (Brandts Klædefabrik in Odense, Denmark), and it is a must see for me when I visit the museum. As you note, the painting is huge, and this adds to it's impact. I agree with your interpretation of the painting. I, think, however, that there is one other aspect to the painting worth pointing out. The soil the farmer is working is barren. Indeed, it appears to completely lack nutrition, thus making it difficult if not impossible to farm. This, I think, adds to the hopelessness of the scene. Love your channel.

Im a painter, but Ive never seen this work....its a punch to the gut. Its a true Masterpiece and a stunning indictment of poverty. I have no adequate words to describe how powerful this is. Where is it now, can I see it? I would travel just to gaze at it. Thankyou So much

Weird synchronicity for me that this image appears today when I'm struggling with severe burnout/depression. This morning I put on exactly the same style blue and white striped shirt as the old man... and I too am worn out.

I think this video hit at a very appropriate time. With heat waves on the west coast of the United States, many outdoor workers and homeless are left to suffer in the heat. Recently in Texas a 24 year old died of heat exposure while on the job, with little to no sympathy from 5he company he worked for. Instead the company accused the victim of being on drugs, an accusation used all too often against minority victims in the US.

this actually made me quite sad. A great painting for sure.

Wow, your videos continue to astound me by the deep emotional power they hold with them. Another great art analysis, The Canvas. Keep up the amazing work.

Loved the video and the tie-in from last week's featured artist. The level of emotion in the woman's face... panic, desperation, anger... it made me teary

Never been to an art show or bought a painting in my life, did not know or care about art. This video came up in my feed, I instantly realised I found something I never knew I was missing....subbed.

You've just earned another subscription. You're outstanding in your field--no pun intended.

Such a heartbreaking painting that is still relevant today. Great video!

Structural violence can be tricky to pin down, yet the upper classes at the time obviously saw it straight away. Which also begs the question, if they were aware of the consequences of their actions, why didn't their morals dictate their responses? It's a telling point that they complained so much....

It's the details which make this picture so compelling, and make us want to know the story behind it. The man looks to be in his late 70s, possibly 80s. His eyes are white, rolled back in his head. The jumper he is wearing is so old, that the left underarm is torn open. There is dirt on the left forearm of his sleeve, perhaps from falling down, as is the dirt on the knees of his pants - or more likely he has been kneeling in the dirt in order to grub out the rocks. Some commenters here have suggested that this man could be the farmer who owns the field. One of those self-employed people who never retire, because they derive a sense of purpose and meaning from work. They are the sort of hands-on boss who works side by side with their (younger) workers and their children and grandchildren, doing the unpleasant dirty jobs around the property. Bosses who like to wear the same old familiar clothes to work, until those clothes fall apart. But if this is a farmer/landowner, why isn't he wearing something basic like wrappings or work gloves to protect his hands? and why isn't he at least using a rake, plus a bucket or a wheelbarrow to drag the rocks around? this would make the job a lot easier, instead of awkwardly clutching the rocks in his apron. Farmers are practical commonsense people, they use appropriate tools, and never make a job any harder than is necessary. I can't help thinking that this man is too poor to afford even a bucket, let alone a farm. Only 8 years after this painting was made, my grandfather, then aged 7, was told by his father, my great-grandfather, to pick up a shovel and move blue-metal from a quarry onto a wagon. The quarry was on my great-grandfather's farm. Shovelling blue-metal is a job for an adult, but the children had to do it, as my great-grandfather had become too crippled to do manual work. So I look at this painting and think, if this is a family farm, why is a hard manual job like rock-carrying left to the oldest and frailest family member? there are always plenty of other jobs on a farm that an old man could do, that would be less arduous than moving rocks. Are the younger members of the family just out of view of the painting ...or has this man lost his family, does he have no-one else to do the manual work? The painting raises so many questions. We can't ever know the true story behind this frozen moment in a field; but, whether the man is a farm-owner (who pushed himself too hard), or more likely a penniless peasant (who needed to keep working to simply survive) - it's clear the woman loves this old man. What a moving scene.

This photo is about the old man. It's his time. He deserves his rest. One generation passes, and it breaks our hearts to see them go. The secondary subject is his working conditions. The tertiary and third subject is the young woman who found him. She has zero wrinkles, the artist painted her as very young, she could be his grand daughter, they had babies very young, so a generation could be 16 years of age. She realizes the pain those who love him are about to suffer from the loss of this wise, loving and helpful old. man. One can see he was a hard working old man who probably did everything around the farm, for the good of everyone else for his whole life. One can see how important he was to his family. There was no trauma to cause his death. His tough physical labor is seen behind him and he died from exhaustion, working himself to the bone. He piled those rock piles, it is implied from the painting. One wooden show is off and that has great meaning reflecting his death. They will miss him tremendously. I hope the family has the time and resources to take the next few days to mourn for his life. I see no violence that you have stated over and over. Metaphorical violence, okay, but many people are poor and have to work very hard. No one knows when our time comes. That old man will be missed and mourned. Then, they will have to sadly carry on without him , back out in the fields, toiling away and wearing themselves out, too. Beautiful painting!!

You know the painting is good when the Man is upset over it

Your analysis of the paintings can not be unnoticed. I remove my hat to your intellect. Bravo thousand times.

Never heard of him but I think hes my new favorite artist...those paintings just POP!!! so much depth & energy...i hope to be able to see one in person some day

*THE ROAD TO WIGAN PIER* by George Orwell - can you please review it...??? Im just reading it - its astonishing. The most astonishing thing is we are closer today to the 1935 it describes than we are to 1995. With the exception of the coal dust and the outside toilets we have TOTALLY regressed to 1935. There was a housing shortage due to private landlords and NIMBY's preventing building, there were people living in old buses as they do RV's now.

Very well done! Thank you.

The system this guy is talking about has been with us since the dawn of man.

My grandfather worked himself to death supporting himself and my grandmother. At one time he had owned a fishing boat and fished on Lake Ontario, but then the steel plants in Hamilton polluted the lake. He had to go to work for one of the steel plants, Dofasco. The work was hard, and not healthy for him. He had a heart attack one day when he was driving myself and my grandmother, and if my grandmother hadn't stopped the car we might well have died too, in an accident. Later, she told us how my grandfather used to come home from work, and throw up before he came inside, trying to hide it from her, but she knew. He was only in his fifties.

Awesome selection of paintings and topics. Really interesting. You have won my subscription. Great job.

Very powerful and very heartbreaking. They were called "bonde-malerne" - the peasant painters. It wasn't a compliment.

My dad is the hardest working, most beloved person in my life. This video made me call him and tell him that I love him. I tell him that every day when I text him good night, but this painting made me realize how devastating it would be if I lost him.

I subbed. You truly appreciate Art and it’s intricacies as well as beauty. No matter the subject. Thank you for bringing Culture to social media.

We appreciate your insights. Keep up the good work.

I did not expect this painting to be so class conscious and to so beautifully portray the invisible horror of capitalism.

I stumbled across this painting by coincidence. It is an extraordinary, gripping work. Thanks for downloading and analysing it so well.

I just stumbled across this channel. Wow... this is beautifully done and extremely thought provoking. Thank you.

Such a great juxtaposition of these two paintings...phenomenal artist..especially of people...he really captured the beauty of the moment...and made even the little things beautiful.

The tear on her right shoulder's tunic shows such attention to detail,

Very pleased to learn of this painting. I agree, it's obvious that the woman is the subject, and it bothers me a great deal that the odds are in favor of my wife finding me dead at some point...and I expect her response to be very similar to the woman's. I won't ask, but I picture my oldest sister finding her husband dead of a heart attack some years ago would have also been similar.

Absolutely beautiful painting!

This reminds me of the 1970 Kent State photo, of the woman kneeling next to the man killed by the National Guard. Both so haunting.

Thanks you. These paintings moved me to tears

A very powerful scene. Very moving.

This is my first visit to your channel and I truly enjoyed every minute! Thank you! ❤. I'm subscribed 😊

I have never seen this painting or heard of the artist but I cried through most of this presentation. This piece breaks my heart. I'd buy a copy but fear I'd be in tears every time I passed by it.

Just discovered your channel and subscribed. Thank you for letting me know about this painter.

I loved listening to and watching this, thank you.

I was expecting you would include some of van Gogh's earlier works, like The Potato Eaters and others, among the most famous "realist" paintings.

And that is why it is a masterpiece, thank you so Much for highligting it. And what about Goya, im totally facinated by his work

A beautiful and moving program - thanks.

another great video, thank you for your work!

This is a brilliant channel. Unusual, intelligent, and needed.

New subscriber here! What a joy to listen to an expert speak on the history behind great paintings, not just history but the heart of the painter and what they convey to those of us looking. I very much enjoyed the video and will be binge watching your videos!!

Outstanding! Art criticism at its best. Thank you for this.

What a great channel. What a great painting. What a great explanation.

That painting is just as angry and accusatory of the survivors of the great Triangle ShirtWaist Factory fire of 1911. There are many photos of the fire being put out but none of the ground-level suffering that the girls employed by TSW went through. But this painting with the poor old man labouring to pick rocks from a field, a very lowly, tedious and literally backbreaking job, so that the unseen bourgouise can then have a marketable crop planted (maybe with new machinery that would get damaged on the rocks) and literally reap the benefits...that says it all, doesn't it? Excellent content as always, keep up the great work!

I’m 67 and from the US. Have never seen this painting. This is the best painting I’ve ever seen. The love this woman has for this man is so painful.

Instantly subscribed. More, please!

This was painted for the World Exposition in Paris 1889; the 100 years celebration of the French Revolution. With proper context his death appears to be self inflicted.

I love that you're talking about danish artists!

I knew about that painting from the Danish band Afsky, they suits very well with each other

After reading all the most intelligent and analytical comments below, all I can say is "Wow!". I just found your site and I have subscribed and liked.

Thank you for introducing me to this painting. I believe the scene is powerful because it depicts the sudden finality of an existence, a life. An elderly man being productive, as generations before, hopefully preparing his field for new plant life, takes his final breath, falls over. The young women, a rush of emotions; "what? how? why?" So much more emotive than a deathbed scene of some despot reposed in cushy quilts.