The Pantheon, Rome 

Ippolito Caffi painted this view of the Pantheon in Rome using oil on canvas, a traditional fine art medium since the Renaissance. But consider the material reality of the artwork, beyond its subject. Oil paint itself is a manufactured substance, a mixture of pigment and oil, ground together by hand using tools that haven't changed much in centuries. Linen canvas is woven from flax fibers and stretched over a wooden frame. Each of these materials is processed and prepared, requiring labor and skill. The painting’s smooth surface and the precision of the architectural rendering suggest a deliberate approach to craft. Caffi seems less interested in the expressive gestures of the brush than in the overall composition and light. There is an intense amount of work that goes into it, but it is not ostentatious; he makes it seem effortless. By focusing on the materiality of the painting, we can see how it reflects broader social and economic forces, as well as the artist's own engagement with the traditions of art-making. This reminds us that even seemingly straightforward landscape paintings are the product of complex processes, and artistic choices.