Prussian Blue #1 

Curator: Here we have Prussian Blue #1, manufactured by Winsor & Newton, part of the Harvard Art Museums collection. It looks like a standard pigment sample, yet it somehow compels me. Editor: I see a powerful commentary on the commodification of art itself. The label, the color chart—it's all about quantifying and controlling artistic expression. Curator: The history of Prussian Blue is fascinating; its accidental discovery and subsequent widespread use transformed 18th-century painting. It democratized access to the color blue, impacting artistic movements across Europe. Editor: And think about the cultural implications. The color blue carries so much symbolic weight—from royalty to melancholy. This pigment sample becomes a charged object, representing the history of artistic production and reception. Curator: I agree. It makes you think about who gets to define art, and what role institutions play in shaping our understanding. Editor: Precisely. A potent reminder of the power dynamics at play, even in something as seemingly simple as a bottle of pigment.