-Artist: Gustave Caillebotte

-Title: The Floor Scrapers

-Medium: Oil Paint

-Provenance: Currently at The Musée d'Orsay in Paris, France

-Source: http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/collections/works-in-focus/search/commentaire/commentaire_id/les-raboteurs-de-parquet-7073.html

-Describe: Three men who seem exhausted yet still busy at work are scraping the remains of what looks like a wood floor into crumbles. The room which they are in seems to be one of an apartment with a balcony. The muted colors used for the interior of the room project a melancholy and gloomy mood while the bright light portrayed with lighter colors by the balcony adds a sense of hope and liveliness to the painting.

-Analyze:Triangle shape made amongst three men. Lines on the floor, on the wall designs, and on the lass door leading out to the balcony. Contrasting values throughout; lightest value on outdoor balcony. Practically no negative space. Radial balance. Contrast of textures on the floor; the scraped up wood looks dry, crumbly, and rough, the floor which hasn't yet been scraped looks smooth to the touch. Proportionate. Focal point is the balcony because of the light colors used. Movement is seen amongst the three men working.

-Interpret: I believe the triangle shape made amounts the three men portrays a sense of unity. They all work as a team to achieve their goal. The bright light shining through the glass window represents there goal; symbolizing a joyful freedom which is attainable. The contrast between the scraped up wood and the smooth floor represents the progress made and the depth of their work. The emphasized muscle in each of the men's bodies shows how hard they are working. Each of their heads is down showing they will not give up on their goal, and they will continue on with their tedious and straining work. The lines on the wood floor shows how large the floor really is and that in order to complete their task and achieve their goal, they must complete lots and lots of hard work. 

-Judgement: I do not feel very drawn into the work because I don't find any aspects of the painting alluring. The color is dull and the meaning lacks depth and originality. Although it is a very well painted and visually interesting piece, I don't believe the message was communicated clearly. Just by looking at the image you can see that the three men are experiencing a tedious job but they have a window of hope but I believe there is more to the story that isn't projected as well as it could have been.