Rio de Janeiro Bay 1864

Martin Johnson Heade probably painted this scene of Rio de Janeiro Bay with oil on canvas in his studio, after traveling there. His approach is a blend of observation and imagination. Heade builds up thin layers of paint, using brushes to create a smooth surface, a technique that veils the labor of its making. Look closely and you’ll notice the waves in the foreground. See how the artist carefully observes how the light hits the water, capturing the translucent quality of the wave as it crests and crashes against the rocks. The effect almost feels photographic. But the painting process itself involves choices, decisions, and skilled labor. Heade was part of a generation of American painters interested in rendering the natural world, often supported by wealthy patrons keen to explore new markets. The canvas itself, the pigments, the brushes: all these materials are tied to wider social issues of labor, politics, and consumption. By looking at the work this way, we can appreciate its making, and connect it to histories of creative practice.