In the Forest 

Giuseppe de Nittis made this painting, called 'In the Forest', using oil paints on canvas. These were the traditional materials of academic art, but note how unconventionally he's used them here. The loosely applied paint creates an immersive atmosphere, suggesting the damp, green density of the forest. Look at the felled logs in the foreground, and the figures of the lumberjack and the livestock. The texture of the paint itself mimics the rough surfaces of bark and foliage. De Nittis has captured a specific moment in the wood's lifecycle, its exploitation for timber. This kind of natural resource extraction was transforming the landscapes of Europe, feeding the demands of industrial capitalism. The painting suggests the relationship between human labor and the natural world. De Nittis invites us to consider the labor involved in transforming raw materials into commodities, blurring the lines between the natural, the made, and the consumed.