Final answer:
De Botton might find Pieter de Hooch's painting 'A Boy Bringing Bread' sad because it evokes a universal struggle and reflects somber, everyday life, a theme resonant in other artworks that portray the hardships of their times.
Step-by-step explanation:
For de Botton, Pieter de Hooch's painting of 'A Boy Bringing Bread' can evoke feelings of sadness and pain because it may be interpreted as a reflection of somber, everyday life during a period when such a scene would resonate with universal struggles, such as poverty or hunger. This sentiment is similar to how other artworks, such as Segal's 'Depression Breadline', depict the isolation and hardship of individuals during the Depression era in the 1930s.
These artworks often employ visual elements such as monotone colors, slump-shouldered figures, or nondescript clothing to convey a sense of alienation and melancholy. Likewise, other painters, like Caravaggio, also use lighting techniques such as chiaroscuro and tenebrism to evoke a mood of sadness or hopelessness. Thus, a viewer might find scenes involving simple tasks or daily life, as presented by artists like Hooch, laden with emotional depth, reflecting the more challenging aspects of human experience.