Spanish Red Oxide 1941

Curator: We are looking at "Spanish Red Oxide," produced by F. Weber & Company. It's held in the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: There's something deeply satisfying about seeing the raw material of art laid bare like this. It's so elemental! Curator: This pigment speaks to the global art market and the commodification of resources within artistic production. Red oxide pigments have been used for millennia. Editor: Think of all the hands that have touched this pigment, from the miners to the artists. The label tells you about the materials, like linseed oil, which really emphasizes process. Curator: Indeed. The act of labeling and categorizing elevates a commonplace material into a product worthy of museum display. Editor: Absolutely. It is the very building block of art, and yet, presented here, it gains a new significance.