Men working in a sheet rolling mill

The ink work in landscape-format shows four men in protective clothing toiling away at a task – clearly physically demanding – in the sheet metal rolling mill. Three men pull on a heavy chain, while the fourth holds a metal bar. Two of the men are bracing themselves against the chain with their entire body weight, the third is bending forward to catch up. All the workers wear a hood with a visor to protect them from the blistering heat of the furnace. With merely a few soft brushstrokes, the painter and sculptor Hermann Manskopf succeeds in sketching the scene. A vivid impression of the work situation that has been observed is created by means of skilful light and shadow effects in various shades of grey. Manskopf mainly focused on regional landscapes, views of Siegen and depictions of industrial work. He painted above all miners or workers in rolling mills.