St. George 1467

Editor: Standing before us is Andrea Mantegna's "St. George," painted around 1467, rendered in oil paint on a wood panel. What strikes me is the incredibly detailed armor and the peculiar placement of the fruit garland above him, it creates such a weird contrast. What stands out to you when you view this piece? Curator: What grabs my attention is the very materiality of this piece, you see, it isn’t just a depiction of St. George, it's an object produced within a very specific economic and social system. Oil paint allowed for that detail you pointed out. Think about the guilds that oversaw the production of pigments, the labor involved in grinding and mixing them. And that wood panel - where did it come from, who prepared it, and how does that affect the painting’s survival and our interpretation today? Editor: So you're less interested in the saint himself and more in the, pardon me, 'stuff' that makes him up? Curator: Precisely. How does Mantegna's use of oil paint here differ from the tempera used by earlier artists? Consider how that change reflects developments in trade and availability of materials within the Italian Renaissance. It even shifts our perceptions: Oil lends itself to capturing the texture of armor. How might the choice of painting St. George in this relatively new medium speak to larger shifts in production, or to the patronage system? Editor: I see what you mean. Knowing it was oil changes the entire view; suddenly you see the commerce, not just the Christianity. It moves the discussion from devotion to acquisition of resources! That is…intense! Curator: Indeed. By analyzing these factors, we see how art becomes intertwined with labor, economy, and social dynamics. Editor: This reframing makes me think so much more about Renaissance paintings; now they are not only these incredible biblical allegories or historical record-keepers. Now I can't ignore the economic processes involved! Curator: It brings the work alive by grounding it. And understanding the Renaissance means recognizing the material conditions which made such magnificent panels like "Saint George" possible.