The Workers
1937-1940 (printed 1973)
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
linocut in black on laid paper
Dimensions
image: 22.86 × 30.16 cm (9 × 11 7/8 in.) sheet: 23.81 × 30.16 cm (9 3/8 × 11 7/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Jack and Margrit Vanderryn
Accession Number
2015.114.63
Art Historical Context
Max Weber's *The Workers* (1937–1940, printed 1973) is a powerful linocut print in black ink on laid paper, capturing the dignity and toil of laborers during the Great Depression era. Measuring nearly 10 by 12 inches, this work exemplifies Weber's evolution as a modernist artist. Born in Russia and later a key figure in early 20th-century American art, Weber drew from Cubism and Expressionism, blending geometric forms with emotional intensity to depict everyday subjects. Linocut, a relief printing technique using linoleum blocks, allowed Weber to achieve bold contrasts and simplified shapes i...
About the Artist
Max Weber
Max Weber (1881–1961), born in Białystok in the Russian Empire (now Poland) to Orthodox Jewish parents, immigrated to Brooklyn, New York, at age ten with his family, joining his tailor father.) There, he pursued art studies at the Pratt Institute under Arthur Wesley Dow, an innovative teacher who emphasized expression and form over traditional narrative, drawing from Japanese art and Paul Gauguin....