Toast – Lace Sleeve 

Editor: We’re looking at "Toast – Lace Sleeve," an oil painting by Daniel Greene. There's a real sense of occasion suggested, though it only shows two arms clinking wine glasses. What strikes me most is the contrast between the crisp tailoring and fine lace. What do you make of this painting? Curator: It's interesting how Greene foregrounds the labour implicit in the scene. On one side, the tailoring; the means of production—wool or cotton, the labour of textile mills and garment workers— is somewhat obscured by notions of luxury and success, signalled by the cufflink. However, the other arm displays handmade lace. This craft represents an older form of production, typically associated with female labor, painstaking and incredibly time-consuming. Do you see how Greene invites us to consider the different social strata implied by each garment? Editor: I do. It's like he's intentionally placing them side-by-side. Does the act of “toasting” play into your reading of it? Curator: Absolutely. Toasting requires resources. Glassware, wine – someone must have produced these goods and someone must have earned enough to buy them. There’s a whole web of global supply chains leading to this moment. I think Greene prompts us to question: who benefits from the celebration, and at whose expense? Editor: So, it's not just a simple toast, but an acknowledgement – and maybe even a critique – of social and economic relationships. I see it now, thank you. Curator: Precisely. Looking at art through the lens of production reveals these power dynamics we often overlook.