The Banks of the Seine River in Paris 1893

Editor: So, this is Maximilien Luce’s “The Banks of the Seine River in Paris,” painted in 1893 using oil paints. The hazy atmosphere really grabs me. It’s almost dreamlike, and the brushstrokes are so meticulously placed. What stands out to you in this work? Curator: I'm drawn to Luce's depiction of Paris as a center of industry and labor. Notice the visible marks: the small dots meticulously layered across the canvas. They point towards a mechanised process echoing industrial modes of production and labor-intensive method he employed, diverging from the traditional expressive brushstrokes of Impressionism. How do you interpret that? Editor: That’s an interesting take. I see the dots as contributing to the atmospheric effect, but you’re suggesting it also mirrors the industrialized world. I suppose it’s easy to romanticize the "dreamlike quality", without considering the physical labor needed to create that image, both within the painting and potentially in the factories themselves. Curator: Exactly. Think about the societal context: the rise of factories along the Seine. Luce, associated with Neo-Impressionism, used this Pointillist technique, and that technique itself is very labor intensive. Each dot is a unit, a repeatable gesture, much like an assembly line. Do you see how the materiality and technique used becomes as much the subject matter as the Seine itself? Editor: Yes, the connection to the rise of factories does change how I see it. So it is like, this dreamy view exists but it required labor of different sorts – making and showing. What would that labor be though? Curator: It will include everything involved: extracting pigments, manufacturing canvas, and selling to reach market consumers. Editor: Wow, I hadn't thought about it that deeply before. I see it in a new light now. Curator: Exactly. Looking at art through a material lens unveils hidden stories about production and consumption and opens my eyes to so many perspectives that had been there the whole time.