Jacob Lawrence juxtaposes the crisp, straight lines of the building materials with the powerful rounded forms of the builders at work. The vibrant pops of red, blue, and yellow in the men’s shirts and in the planks suggest that these men, like the primary colors themselves, are essential elements for creation. To Lawrence, the image of the construction worker powerfully symbolized “a man’s aspiration, as a constructive tool—man building,” while the act of building was a metaphor for united progress and his hope for the future.