Allen Parker 1931

Editor: This is Denman Waldo Ross’s, Allen Parker, an oil on canvas painting at the Harvard Art Museums. The texture looks thick, you can almost see each brushstroke. What stands out to you about the materials used here? Curator: Looking at the materials, I wonder about the availability of oil paints at the time. The texture suggests an almost lavish use of pigment. Did Ross consider the social implications of such material extravagance? What kind of labor was involved in the production of these pigments and the canvas itself? Editor: That's a really interesting angle. I hadn't considered the labor aspect. Curator: Exactly! It challenges us to think beyond the aesthetic and consider the wider economic and social systems that made this artwork possible. Editor: I'll definitely look at art with new eyes now! Curator: Glad to hear it! Materiality isn't just about what's on the surface, but also the networks of production and consumption it reveals.