Five Men Pushing a Block of Stone

Jacques Stella

ca.1640–50 · Pen and brown ink, brush and gray wash, over traces of black chalk · Drawings and Prints

In this vivid depiction of manual labor, Stella captures the exertions of five men moving a stone block using two long poles for leverage. The authenticity of the vignette is heightened by the artist’s economy of means. Employing black chalk and gray wash, Stella left areas of the sheet in reserve, or unworked, to convey the bright fall of sunshine on the men and on the top face of the block.

Artist

Jacques Stella

Date

ca.1640–50

Medium

Pen and brown ink, brush and gray wash, over traces of black chalk

Department

Drawings and Prints

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1962