Cadmium-Barium Red; Medium 

Editor: This is "Cadmium-Barium Red Medium" by The Harshaw Chemical Company. It’s just striking to see pigment presented this way, almost like a specimen. What can you tell me about its function within art history? Curator: Consider the manufacturer, not an artist. The Harshaw Chemical Company. This is a product sample. How does the commodification of color, its industrial production, change the artist's role and relationship to their materials? Editor: That's a great point. It makes me think about the political implications of accessibility and control over resources like this. Curator: Precisely. Who gets to use this pigment, and what stories do they tell with it? The availability of a color like this could influence artistic trends. Editor: Right, I see how this one little jar opens up a whole world of questions about art and society.