Sick man at the walls of a Catholic monastery 1874

Fyodor Bronnikov created this painting with oil on canvas, using techniques that would have been common in the 19th century. The material itself is critical here. Oil paint is slow-drying, which allows for layers of detail and revision. Bronnikov uses this to full effect in the worn facades and tired faces. Look at the fresco above the doorway, the textures of the stone, and even the way the light falls. You can see the artist building up his image stroke by stroke, with subtle gradations of color and tone. Notice how the artist plays with light, particularly as it streams from within the doorway. But the material also conveys a social message. The artist uses the medium to capture a sense of despair and poverty; in a period of stark inequality. It is an image that encourages empathy for the lives of the underprivileged. Ultimately, "Sick man at the walls of a Catholic monastery" reminds us that paintings, like any other artifact, are made with specific materials, processes, and social intentions in mind.