Queens of the Garden 1884

Editor: Here we have "Queens of the Garden," a drawing made in 1884 by Claude Raguet Hirst. There's almost a photographic quality to the rendering of light on the petals, and on the glass. It's interesting she chose a simple drawing as a medium, what are your thoughts about this artwork? Curator: I notice immediately the sharp contrasts between the carefully rendered floral subject and the relatively crude, hurried strokes of the charcoal background. How might we interpret this tension in terms of Hirst’s relationship to the accepted hierarchies of art at the time? Was the labor of “fine” art truly considered distinct from mere craftsmanship? Editor: I never thought of it that way! So the background sort of throws the rest into relief by being… not as refined? Curator: Exactly. By playing with different applications of the drawing medium, and particularly the contrast between refined floral still-life, usually associated with wealth and the feminine, and the roughly sketched background, Hirst almost exposes the labor of art-making, and also how this making challenges rigid artistic categorizations. Think of women’s crafting circles in contrast to fine art ateliers... Editor: I see... there's that blurring of lines, using both fine drawing techniques and more obviously hand-drawn styles to challenge high art vs. craft. Curator: Indeed. The drawing almost comments on its own making, drawing our attention to the constructed nature of "high art." It makes you wonder about the availability of quality materials to her as a woman artist at this time, too. Editor: I see the artwork in a whole new light now, that's amazing. Thank you! Curator: My pleasure! Looking closer at materials and their applications always offers fascinating insights.