The descent from the cross 1898

Editor: This is Rupert Bunny's "The Descent from the Cross," painted in 1898, rendered in oil. There’s a striking stillness to this historical painting, almost as if time has stopped. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Let’s consider the means of its production, the cost of pigment in 1898, for example. Cobalt blue, for Mary’s robe, was costly. Was Bunny commenting on piety’s accessibility to various social classes, depicting their material wealth to define their roles within this religious narrative? How do those choices contribute to our understanding of devotion and sorrow within the social context of the time? Editor: That's a unique perspective. I was so caught up in the religious context I had overlooked that! So, the colours Bunny uses become signifiers of wealth? Curator: Precisely. Consider also the support – the canvas itself, woven by someone, primed perhaps with lead – these were material and labor costs too. Was Bunny making a statement about labour by elevating a scene about religion to a 'high art' painting using the skills of labourers? Also, are we perhaps meant to think of this labor with some pathos? Editor: Interesting. Thinking about all those different crafts that had to come together to create this piece... it really changes the focus. Curator: Indeed. It allows us to see the art world not as just individuals creating masterpieces, but as a collaborative, and often exploitative, system of labor and production. Understanding the means of making is critical to assessing Bunny's potential socio-economic message and to better reflect on consumption of religious iconography at the turn of the 20th century. Editor: I never considered the value of materials so literally, but it adds a completely new dimension. Curator: Seeing art through a material lens makes these connections far more tangible.