Portrait of a Seated Young Man with Mirror 19th-20th century

Editor: Here we have Denman Waldo Ross's "Portrait of a Seated Young Man with Mirror," oil on canvas. The brushstrokes are visible, almost sketching the figure. What do you make of the artist’s choices, in terms of materials and the labor they suggest? Curator: The rough application of paint is interesting. It moves away from academic polish, toward a more immediate, almost industrial aesthetic. Think of the labor involved in producing canvases versus paper, the economic implications, and who this subject might be in relation to those choices. Editor: It's interesting to think about class and access influencing even the style of the piece. Thanks for pointing that out! Curator: Indeed. By considering materiality, we see how art production is embedded in broader economic and social structures.