Muttra 1883

Editor: This is "Muttra," painted by Edwin Lord Weeks in 1883. It looks like it's an oil painting, and the reflection in the water really catches my eye. What can you tell me about this work? Curator: I notice how the physical structure of the buildings – the very materials of brick, stone, and presumably plaster – are so meticulously rendered. How do you think this painstaking representation impacts our understanding of the society depicted? Editor: Well, it makes me think about labor. It must have taken a lot of work to build these structures. Were these common materials for this place and time? Curator: Precisely! This is key to the painting's materiality. Weeks isn’t just presenting us with a romanticized Orientalist fantasy. By focusing on the tangible, built environment and its physical presence, he compels us to consider the processes involved in constructing and maintaining the cityscape, right? Look at the repetitive forms. What labor do those suggest? Editor: The stairs down to the water...it feels almost ritualistic in its constant use. Curator: Exactly. Now consider the water itself, reflecting not just light but the activities, the comings and goings of the inhabitants. What is the relationship between the constructed environment and the natural resource that facilitates its life and labor? And, crucially, whose labor benefits, and whose is exploited? Editor: So it's not just about the beautiful scene, but about the work that makes the scene possible and who is performing it. I hadn't really thought about the means of production within a painting before. Curator: Precisely! Hopefully, you will start noticing that materiality matters. Editor: I’ll definitely look at art differently now! Thanks.