Portrait of a Boy c. 1648 - 1655

Adriaen van Ostade painted this Portrait of a Boy using oil on canvas. It's easy to overlook how this material shapes our perception. Oil paint allowed artists to build up layers of pigment, creating subtle variations in tone and texture. Look closely and you'll see how van Ostade used this to his advantage, capturing the soft glow of the boy's skin and the rich, velvety texture of his hat. The visible brushstrokes give a sense of the artist's hand at work. But oil painting was also tied to the rise of a commercial art market, where artists could produce works for sale to a growing middle class. Van Ostade himself came from a family of artisans and understood the value of labor. The ability to manipulate the material, combined with the demand for portraits, allowed artists like van Ostade to flourish. So, consider how the materials and making processes intertwine with the economic and social context of the time. They challenge the traditional divide between art and craft.