Petite mare en forêt 

Narcisse-Virgilio Diaz created this painting with oil paints, a medium then becoming increasingly industrialized. Notice the dense application of paint, a thick impasto that gives a tactile quality to the forest scene. Diaz built up layers of pigment to capture the play of light and shadow within the forest, almost as if he were sculpting with the paint. The texture becomes almost as important as the image itself. Consider the labor involved in obtaining and processing these materials. From the mining of pigments to the refining of oils, each step represents a complex chain of production, and the work of many hands. Diaz, as a celebrated artist, stood at the apex of this pyramid of labor. This painting invites us to appreciate not only the skill of the artist, but also the material processes that make art possible, blurring the lines between fine art and the broader world of making.