The Daughter of Jephthah 1879

Alexandre Cabanel created this painting with oil on canvas, a traditional combination that was already centuries old when he took up the brush. Cabanel had a thorough understanding of this medium. He was able to conjure realistic effects with it, from the diaphanous drape of fabric, to the smooth skin of the maiden. In his day, that was thought to be the height of artistic achievement. But there is another way of thinking about it, from the perspective of craft. Rather than being appreciated for its own qualities of substance, texture, weight, color and form, the material has instead been made to disappear. To value painting in this way means to ignore the work involved in the production process, and the wider social issues of labor and consumption. Perhaps it is time to reconsider that hierarchy, and appreciate this image for its materiality as well as its message.