Art History's Most Famous Labor-Themed Paintings for May Day

For May Day (Festa del Lavoro), Artribune compiles a selection of famous paintings that explicitly or implicitly depict labor and workers, from the Renaissance to the early 20th century. The article highlights works such as Giovan Battista Moroni's "Il sarto" (The Tailor), Pieter Bruegel the Elder's hunters and harvesters, Édouard Manet's "A Bar at the Folies-Bergère," Jan Vermeer's "The Milkmaid" and "The Allegory of Painting," Vincent van Gogh's "The Potato Eaters" and "The Sower at Sunset," Jean-François Millet's "The Gleaners," Edgar Degas's "The Ironers," Gustave Courbet's "The Stone Breakers," Franz Xaver Simm's "The Embroiderer," and Giuseppe Pellizza da Volpedo's "The Fourth Estate." The article reflects on how art has addressed workers' struggles and celebrated craftsmanship since the Industrial Revolution.