flaubertian:

Les Raboteurs de Parquet, 1875, by Gustave Caillebotte (1848-1894)

“This is one of the first paintings to feature the urban working class. It reintroduces the subject of the male nude in the painting, but in a strikingly updated form. Instead of the heroes of antiquity, here are the heroes of modern life – sinewy and strong – in stooped poses that would appear demeaning if they did not convey a sense of masculine strength and honest labor.”