Lamp Black 

Editor: Here we have "Lamp Black," from Cabot, of indeterminate date. It's literally a jar of pigment! What's so significant about it? Curator: The importance isn't necessarily aesthetic, but cultural and historical. Consider the role pigments like this played in art history. How readily available was this color? Who controlled its production and distribution? Editor: So, it’s more about the politics of color than the art itself? Curator: Precisely! Lamp black, a byproduct of industrial processes, reflects the shift in art from artisanal production to mass manufacture. How does that shift affect artistic expression, do you think? Editor: I guess it makes art more accessible, but maybe less unique? Thanks, that gives me something to consider.