On the Artistic Representation of Industrial Disputes in the Shadow of Repression in European Art

Prof. Dr. Filip Dorssemont is full professor of Labour Law at the Faculty of Law of the UCLouvain (in Louvain-La-Neuve). He is the President of the School of Labour Sciences (UCLouvain) and member of the Transnational Trade Union Rights Expert Network (European Trade Union Institute). Filip Dorssemont has read law (Antwerp University, Master in Law 1993), studied philosophy (bachelor Antwerp University 1990, and a Complementary Studies in Philosophy at the Institute of Philosophy, Leuven University, 1994). In 2001 he defended a Ph.D. thesis in law. In 2023 he obtained a Master in History of Art (UCLouvain).

“The contributions in this volume explore a broad range of diverse perspectives. … its innovative approach and wide-ranging insights will potentially appeal across disciplines, bridging the divide between specialized academic research and broader intellectual curiosity. … By combining different fields, the book facilitates a deeper understanding of how industrial disputes were artistically represented in European art during a period of significant historical transformation.” (Bruno Debaenst, International Review of Social History, June 9, 2025) “The book will become a staple for the students of visual jurisprudence, demonstrating how beneficial for legal scholars in general may be a venture into another field of study. In addition, who knows– perhaps the book will become an inspiration and, in the coming years, our colleagues– scholars of civil law or penal law will produce their own formidable volumes on the intersection of the particular discipline with art that will join the ever growing series.” (Mirosław Michał Sadowski, International Journal for the Semiotics of Law, Vol. 38 (4), 2025)

• Introduction.- Some perspectives on   the representation of industrial disputes under the shadow of repression in European Art (1870-1914).- Early Stages of Collective Action and their Visual Representations: an Emotions Driven Approach to the Struggle for Better Working Conditions.- The Midinette guiding the People. An iconographic break of the Assiette au Beurre.- Labour and Art: The dualism of backwardness and timeliness in Hungary and in its Eastern neighbourhood.- From 1844 to 1944 - Workers and revolutions in Poland.- Conclusions.