Floating Ice near Bennecourt 1893

Claude Monet made "Floating Ice near Bennecourt" using oil paint on canvas, traditional fine art materials applied with brushstrokes. Monet’s technique here involves layers of thin paint, creating a sense of depth and luminosity. You can almost feel the coldness of the water and the chill in the air. But consider this seemingly straightforward landscape in the context of its making. Oil paint, though a ‘high art’ material, is itself a product of industry, relying on pigments and oils processed in factories. The canvas, too, is a mass-produced material. Monet's artistic labor is therefore intertwined with broader systems of production and consumption. The skill lies not only in his application of paint, but in his ability to transform these everyday materials into something transcendent. By understanding the materials and processes behind this painting, we can appreciate the layers of meaning embedded within it, challenging the idea that fine art exists in a realm separate from the material world.