The lecture deals with representations of labor in the history of art from the Middle Ages to the 20th century. The focus is 1) on early modern pictures of labor that document the transition from crafted to pre-industrial production, and 2) on modern art that focusses the effects of industrialization on man. The relationship between art and labor, between artists and workers, as well as common and different patterns of identity and semantics are discussed in detail in their historical contexts.