Gruber was committed to realism and to Communism. Job was painted for an exhibition which opened shortly after the liberation of Paris in 1944. Gruber uses the Biblical story of Job's suffering as an allegory for the survival of hope under the Occupation. The inscription, which comes from The Book of Job, translates as: 'Now, once more my cry is a revolt, and yet my hand suppresses my sobs.' (Tate)