Tiger in the mountains 

Editor: So, this painting is called "Tiger in the Mountains" by Rudolf Ernst, using oil paint. It's really striking, I am especially interested in the almost muted color palette combined with this powerful animal and vast landscape, the material roughness emphasizes something, I'm not sure what! What are your thoughts on this piece? Curator: Well, focusing on its materiality, consider the source of the pigment. Where were these colors coming from, who was producing and selling them, and to whom? These choices, this labor of transforming raw materials into something considered beautiful – this is a painting by a European artist, of an exotic scene. Are these mountains in Europe, or somewhere else entirely? The materiality asks us to consider trade, the social construction of wildness. Editor: That’s a fascinating way to look at it. It wasn't something I considered at first. So, you are looking past the romantic scenery into the materials that constitute it? Curator: Precisely! Think of the canvas, too. What kind of labor went into preparing it? It’s easy to get lost in the representation of the tiger but grounding ourselves in these practicalities makes us consider the broader network that enables the work’s existence. Do you see this painting as celebrating the beauty of the tiger in the mountains, or does the choice of rendering this subject speak of colonial desires? Editor: I hadn't thought about that. Seeing the art's social context in it opens new perspectives for me, rather than only judging by aesthetics. It will be my first reflex to start here now. Curator: Glad I could bring a fresh view to it. Remembering the human work within the artwork is important.