Capable Hands 

Editor: Here we have Dan Graziano’s oil painting "Capable Hands." The realism and the way the light reflects off the cocktail shaker give it a sort of glamorous, old-world feel, but also makes me think about labor and service. What do you see in this piece? Curator: I see a compelling narrative about labor and its representation. The focus on hands elevates the skill involved in this specific kind of service work. However, I wonder: Whose hands are these, and what is the context of their labor? How might gender, race, and class intersect with the act of preparing and serving a drink? Editor: I hadn’t really considered those issues! It feels like the painting is very carefully not offering those clues. Curator: Precisely. It prompts us to question the roles and expectations placed upon service workers, particularly within a historical framework where their identities were often marginalized or erased. We have to acknowledge that historically, and even today, there is often a gendered and racial dimension to service industry labor. Editor: So, by stripping away identifying details, the painting is encouraging us to think about the larger social implications of this kind of work? Curator: In part, yes. I’d argue the painting invites us to consider not only who is doing the serving, but who is being served, and what power dynamics are at play. The deliberate anonymity shifts the focus to the systemic issues around the performance of service itself. Editor: I see that. It's making me think about the way that cocktail culture often obscures the labor behind it. I never would have looked at it that way! Curator: Art at its best can serve to disrupt. I learned a bit about a new artist today!