Scene in Braemar Highland Deer 

Edwin Landseer made this painting of deer in the Scottish Highlands using oil paints. The tradition of oil painting is of course linked to capitalist developments, as it offered a commodity form for artistic labor. But here, the very handling of the paint is crucial, because it gives a romantic sensibility that translates into social messaging. Landseer used the fluidity of oil paints to create soft transitions of light and shadow to the deer's fur and the misty, mountainous backdrop. This evokes a sense of majesty, and of course it aestheticizes the experience of hunting, transforming it from a pursuit into a narrative. Landseer's skilled brushwork, combined with the inherent qualities of the medium, elevate the subject matter to a realm of idealized beauty. In this way, the oil on canvas medium becomes a means of transforming nature into a spectacle of art, and a commentary on human interaction with the natural world.