Landscape 

Editor: This is "Landscape" by George Smith of Chichester, painted sometime in the 18th century, using oil on canvas. It's a very calming scene. How would you interpret this work? Curator: Considering the materiality, note the canvas itself, the likely source of the pigments, and the labor involved in grinding and mixing them. How does this process inform our understanding of 18th-century artistic production and the artist's social position? Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered! Curator: Right, examining the socio-economic context surrounding the creation of the artwork helps us move past a purely aesthetic appreciation. Editor: I'll definitely be thinking about the materials and labor that went into this piece. Curator: Precisely, reflecting on the processes involved in its creation enriches our understanding.