Girl with dog 

"Girl with Dog" was painted by Joan Brull, who lived from 1863 to 1912. The painting relies on oil paints, thinned and carefully applied to canvas to create a luminous surface. Brull’s light brushwork, using layers of color and tone, would have required great skill and patience. This was time well-spent, as it allowed him to depict the woman and the dog in exquisite detail. The softness of their skin and fur is almost tangible. There’s a lot of labor embedded in this kind of picture-making, even if the result appears effortless. But we shouldn’t only think about the artist’s activity when we look at this painting. Consider also the suppliers of raw materials, and manufacturers of brushes and paints. It’s tempting to think of paintings as being rarefied objects, touched only by genius. In fact, they’re made with the tools of industry. Acknowledging the full story of art helps us to escape traditional hierarchies, and see the world with new eyes."