Portrait of a Man c. 1880

This is Paul Gauguin's "Portrait of a Man," painted with oils on canvas, a traditional pairing of materials. The way Gauguin applied the paint is particularly interesting. Look closely, and you can see the individual brushstrokes, how he loaded the brush with pigment and then dragged it across the surface. There's not much blending here, but a direct application of material, in a range of earthy tones. Consider the labor involved. Gauguin would have had to prepare his canvas, mix his colors, and then purposefully build up the image layer by layer. The materiality of the paint, its viscosity and opacity, all contribute to the final effect. The visible brushwork brings a sense of immediacy and the artist's hand to the surface, and ultimately influences our perception and the value we ascribe to the artwork. Paying attention to the materials and making enriches our experience and deepens our understanding of the artist's process and intention, rather than the simple representation within the frame.