Hamlet Delivering a Letter Written by Himself to the Queen of Scotland 1776

Nicolai Abildgaard painted "Hamlet Delivering a Letter Written by Himself to the Queen of Scotland" using oil on canvas. Oil paint, in its materiality, allowed Abildgaard to create a range of textures, from the smooth, almost porcelain-like skin of the figures, to the rougher fabrics of their garments. The way the paint is layered, thick in some areas and thin in others, gives the painting a tactile quality, almost as if you could reach out and feel the textures yourself. The process of oil painting itself, with its slow drying time and ability to be reworked, reflects the intellectual labor and deliberate approach Abildgaard took in translating Shakespeare's drama onto canvas. But the social context is also critical here. Oil painting at this time was not just a technique, it was an industry, involving not just the artist but the suppliers of materials, the framers, the dealers. Considering these factors allows us to appreciate the complexity of the painting, and move beyond traditional art history.