Back Breakingly Meticulous

I got a chance to see this piece when i was in Amsterdam a few years ago. It is out of control. The canvas is huge, and the detail holds up under intense magnification. This is an enlightened piece. The depth and quality of the color, the defined muscle structure of the men, the way the light is picked up, it is magnificiently refined. The subject is some blue collar workers scrapping paint off a floor, it is not some fat rich lady dripping in gems, it exalts the hard days work of a craftsmen. In a way a self portrait, romantically portraying the gritty unromantic hard work that goes into craft. As craft is often endangered in the post modern age i wave this piece like a flag.