Cadmium Red Medium Light 

Editor: This is "Cadmium Red Medium Light," from the Harvard Art Museums, made by the Harshaw Chemical Company. It’s simply a jar of pigment, but the label gives it a strange, almost scientific feeling. What can we learn from it? Curator: Consider the means of its production. The Harshaw Chemical Company, an industrial manufacturer, becomes the artist. This challenges conventional notions of artistic skill and authorship. Editor: So, the value isn't in the art itself, but in the industrial process? Curator: Precisely. The focus shifts from aesthetic appreciation to an examination of labor, materiality, and the social context of its making. It’s about consumption and production. Editor: That's fascinating! I hadn't considered pigment in that way before. Curator: Exactly! Hopefully, this has helped broaden your understanding.