The postwar Italian artist Sandro Chia helped pioneer the international Neo-Expressionist movement that flourished from the late 1970s to the early 1990s. Together with his like-minded counterparts in Germany, France, and the United States, Chia embraced the resurgence of representation and emotional content in contemporary art in reaction to the dominance of conceptual art and minimalism, movements that stressed detachment and dispassion. In this color intaglio print from 1989, Chia presents a male laborer as a heroic icon of pride and strength, standing before a smoke-billowing factory set in a generalized landscape. Presented larger than life, the factory worker dominates the allegorical scene, as laurel tree branches (symbols of victory) appear to encircle his leg. Powerful and self-assured, the worker symbolizes the dignity and central importance of human labor in modern society, while also serving as a compelling political proclamation.
