Colonel Acland and Lord Sydney: The Archers 1769

Editor: So, here we have Joshua Reynolds's "Colonel Acland and Lord Sydney: The Archers" from 1769, crafted in oil paint. It's a striking image; there's an almost theatrical quality to it. How do you see this work? Curator: What grabs me is Reynolds’ conscious manipulation of materials and process. Look at the fluidity of the brushstrokes, especially in the background foliage. It mimics nature, yet simultaneously exposes the artist's hand, drawing attention to the labor involved in constructing the image. It really forces the viewer to reconcile nature, nobility and hard labour. Editor: So, you are referring to both literal physical labour, of the artist making the artwork but also the kind of cultural labour that is inherent to such depiction of class and identity? Curator: Exactly. Consider also how the oil paint, a relatively new medium at the time, allowed for this level of detail and manipulation. The choice of materials isn't neutral. How does the medium itself help define and possibly limit the statement of this piece? What can be observed? Editor: The glossy finish and richness probably helped idealize the subjects, adding to their stature. I wonder, what about the relationship between the men’s activities in the landscape? Are we to assume that hunting, as presented here, has anything to do with food provision, with labouring the land and feeding community? Or has that element of life been discarded completely? Curator: Precisely! We see a romanticised view of the landed gentry engaging with the natural world. This idealized, even performative hunting scene hides the very real labor relations that sustained their lifestyle. The painting then becomes less about sport and more about the display of wealth and power through manipulated depictions. Editor: So, what I take from that is this artwork shows a constructed image, that the materials and artistic processes shape a narrative not of truthful reporting but rather, one of subtle propaganda. Curator: Indeed. Reynolds brilliantly used material means to not just paint a picture, but to project a carefully curated vision of British aristocracy. And how different could this be had the artwork been fashioned, let's say, from embroidery or tapestry - the materials and skillset commonly associated with 'female labour' - as opposed to oil paint, a masculine 'high-art' material. Editor: Thanks! That's given me a lot to think about in terms of the labour that went into its creation and its societal underpinnings.