Captain Arthur Forbes 

George Romney painted Captain Arthur Forbes in oil on canvas. Look closely at the surfaces created by the artist’s touch. The layered paint, applied with brushes, captures light and shadow, defining Forbes’s features and clothing. Romney’s technique, while seemingly traditional, reflects the changing economics of art production. He relied on assistants to prepare canvases and lay in backgrounds, allowing him to focus on the portrait's key elements. This division of labor, reminiscent of workshop practices, was driven by the demand for portraits among Britain's rising merchant class. Painting became industrialized: while Romney applied the finishing touches, much was done by others. The portrait itself celebrates Forbes's status, but it also points to the underlying economic structures that sustained both the sitter and the artist. The layers of paint not only depict Forbes, but also speak to the complex social and economic landscape of 18th-century Britain, blurring the lines between fine art and craft production.