Venetian Red 

Editor: This is “Venetian Red,” a pigment manufactured by Charles Roberson and Co. While it’s not a painting, I find its presentation striking. The pigment itself seems so elemental. What significance do you find in its materiality? Curator: Its materiality is precisely where its significance lies. Consider the labor involved in sourcing and processing the raw materials, and then the social and economic contexts of pigment production and distribution. Editor: So, you're saying it's less about the color itself and more about the means of its creation and how it reached artists? Curator: Exactly. We can ask, how did this particular Venetian Red become available, and what did its availability mean for artists and their work? Editor: That's a fascinating way to look at it; I hadn’t considered the pigment itself as part of a larger economic system. Curator: Indeed, it reminds us that art is deeply embedded in material processes and social relations.