The Towpath, T. Signorini

"The Towpath", painted by Telemaco Signorini in 1864, is a realistic painting that depicts the hard work of laborers along the banks of the Arno. The representation of everyday scenes and simple people, in this case, peasants, is typical of the Macchiaioli movement, to which Signorini belongs and of which he is an important exponent. The painting is a true manifesto against the bourgeoisie and the exploitation of workers and laborers. The peasants are portrayed at the moment of greatest effort, in the act of dragging the towpath (or barge), evident not only by the expression of one of the characters, turned towards the viewer, but also by the position of the bodies struggling as they sink into the sand.