Duck; verso: Eagle c. 18th century

Editor: This is Jean-Baptiste Oudry's "Duck; verso: Eagle." The watercolor on paper gives it a delicate feel. What strikes me is the artist’s attention to the duck's texture. How do you interpret this work, focusing on the materials? Curator: I see a study in labor. Consider the paper itself, likely handmade, a valuable commodity. Oudry's precise rendering elevates the humble duck through skillful use of imported pigments and meticulous brushwork, turning a barnyard animal into an object of high art. Editor: So, you see the value in the materials and labor elevating the subject? Curator: Precisely! Oudry challenges the hierarchy, where royal portraits were prized above depictions of nature. He transforms craft into high art through his process and materials. Editor: That's a fresh take! Considering the materials and labor provides a new lens through which to appreciate the work.