Hawk Attacking Partridges and a Rabbit 

Jean-Baptiste Oudry made this hunting scene using oil paints, a traditional medium for fine art, though here employed to capture a subject more closely associated with the aristocratic sport of falconry. The smooth, almost porcelain finish belies the labor involved in layering the paints to create such detail, from the hawk's feathers to the frantic energy of the partridges and rabbit. Oudry’s technique reflects the influence of the French Royal Academy, which emphasized technical skill and control. This pursuit of perfection, however, also suggests the vast social divide of the period, where the leisure activities of the elite depended on the labor and resources extracted from the working classes. Oudry was not just painting a scene, but also an entire social system. Considering the materials, making, and context allows us to understand the full meaning of this artwork, blurring the traditional lines between fine art and the world in which it was produced.