Wooded Landscape 1630

Alexander Keirincx created this ‘Wooded Landscape’ using oil paints on a canvas support. These materials are, of course, within the traditional realm of art history. Yet, the very subject matter of the work pulls us in a different direction. Keirincx clearly relished working with the material qualities of his medium. Notice how he builds up the forms of the leaves with a careful layering of brushstrokes. Look closely, and you can see the handwork involved, the artist’s labor. This highly developed skill in rendering the natural world represents a specialized kind of work, cultivated over years of practice. In this respect, ‘Wooded Landscape’ reminds us of craft traditions that equally involve detailed and meticulous processes of making. By emphasizing the materiality and making of this landscape painting, we can begin to challenge any rigid distinctions between the fine arts and other forms of skilled production.