the wisest pig
an ekphrasis: Bricklayer, by August Sander, 1928
‘Bricklayer’ comes from the series, People of the 20th Century, by German photographer, August Sander (1876-1964). He began the series prior to the First World War, had a selection published in 1929 in the book, Face of Our Time, carrying on until 1936 when the Nazis seized all copies and destroyed the photographic plates. Thankfully, the full set has since been recovered.
Brick layer There's no smearing the brick man; no staining with frescoes, prints. He’s built of the stuff he carries; graffiti is an easy rinse. He lifts, lifts you to your home: the Great Wall of Gorgan defends an empire, like the one in Rome; The Church of Our Lady houses holy fire; and many a winter hearth kindles familial desire. Friends and kin, too, should refuse. Wolves stalk your hinterland; you have too much to lose. So, don’t smear the man with the bricks. Regardless the structure, or how big: layers, layers, build through time; he'll always serve the wisest pig.
*Great Wall of Gorgan: a massive wall built with bricks as a defense system for the Sasanian Empire (224-651 A.D.) in norther Iran
*Church of Our Lady: a five-tower church in Kalundborg, Denmark, constructed entirely of red bricks (circa 1170–1200 A.D.)
For comparison, see my post featuring Diego Rivera’s compositionally similar painting, The Flower Vendor:
her calla
the burden of beauty vendor behind the vendor balances the basket steady to her center of gravity as in acceptance in prayer she kneels steeled to rise to the day fresh calla in every window one last for her kitchen wilted folding in new light weighing nothing
I wonder if the German brick laying world was similar to the one I knew. As a young man I carried brick and mortar to the brick layers. That was my job, to keep them supplied because a brick layer couldn't spend his precious time and energy mixing mortar and schlepping bricks up and down scaffolding. If I had to guess, I would say that fellow did my job.
So good!