Alonso, King of Naples and Another Figure (fragment of 'The Tempest Act I, Scene 1') 

Editor: Here we have a fragment of a larger painting by George Romney titled "Alonso, King of Naples and Another Figure" presumably depicting a scene from Shakespeare's 'The Tempest.' The medium is oil paint, and you can see it's been applied in quite broad strokes. The faces are really expressive, especially with their eyes turned upward, seeming to be caught in a storm or a moment of disaster. What's your take on this? Curator: I see an intriguing study in production. The rough handling of the oil paint, especially given Romney's social standing as a leading portraitist, reveals much about the economics of artistic creation at the time. This 'fragment' points to a studio practice, a system of labor involved in producing a large history painting, intended to showcase the prowess of the British artistic scene. How much was left to the students versus to the master? Editor: That’s interesting – I hadn't considered the studio practice involved. I was focused on the emotional drama. Are you suggesting the value lies more in understanding its creation than its narrative? Curator: Absolutely. The materiality and process override a simple reading of ‘The Tempest’. Note the gestural strokes indicating not just figures but an environment – a collaborative process, a division of labor in a market economy, as opposed to the lone genius at work in his atelier, so the method shapes our comprehension. Think of what different messages these approaches project. What were you expecting of a history painting here, anyway? Editor: I suppose I was looking for a finished scene, a clear representation of the Shakespearean narrative. So by examining the materials, you see the social structure of art production within Romney's studio and more generally within British painting at that time. I wouldn't have noticed that otherwise! Curator: Precisely. We move beyond representation, interrogating the conditions of art-making itself. Considering that changes how we see it.