Landscape with Pigs 

Arthur Bowen Davies made this painting, "Landscape with Pigs," using oil paints on what appears to be a canvas support. The painting's prevailing ochre tonality is achieved through layers of thin, diluted glazes, which allows light to permeate and reflect from the surface, giving the impression of depth and atmosphere. The artist uses the physical properties of the oil paint to produce various effects: the thick impasto in the foreground vegetation and the flat, blended surfaces of the hills in the background. Although landscape painting is often perceived as a high art form, it is closely connected to social and economic realities. "Landscape with Pigs" captures a scene of agricultural production that depends on animal husbandry and farming practices that sustained communities throughout history. The labor-intensive processes needed to raise livestock are visible in the painting, emphasizing the link between art and everyday life. Thinking about materials, making, and context gives us a more complete understanding of the artwork, questioning traditional divides between fine art and craft.