Ruben's Madder 

Editor: Here we have Ruben's Madder, manufactured by James Newman. It's a pigment, a color. It’s just sitting there, contained, with a color chart to the side. How do you interpret it? Curator: Think of the symbolic weight color carries. Madder, derived from a root, historically signified passion, anger, even sacrifice. Red is deeply embedded in our collective consciousness, isn't it? Editor: So, even a simple pigment becomes laden with meaning? Curator: Precisely. Newman, by associating his madder with Rubens, consciously taps into the master's legacy, hoping to evoke similar emotions. What feelings do you think it might evoke? Editor: I hadn't considered the layers of association at play. It makes you wonder about the original context it came from. Curator: Exactly. Even in a container of pigment, stories reside. Editor: Thank you, I can see that now.