Autumn 

Frits Thaulow’s painting “Autumn” involved applying oil paints to a woven canvas support, a process demanding time and physical effort. Consider how the inherent qualities of paint—its viscosity, transparency, and the way it catches light—define our experience of the work. Thaulow's technique involved layering paint, using brushstrokes to capture the reflections in the water and the textures of the foliage. The choice of oil paint is significant, as it allowed for revisions and a depth of color unattainable with other media. Each brushstroke represents a decision, an act of labor. The social context is also key; Thaulow, as a professional artist, was part of a system where his skill and effort were commodified. The painting, once completed, became an object of trade, its value determined by the artist’s reputation and the market's demand for his vision of nature. Paying attention to the materials and the making helps us appreciate the painting not just as a depiction, but as a crafted object, revealing the artist’s labor and its place within a wider economy of art.