Profile Portrait of an Asian Man 19th-20th century

Editor: Here we have Denman Waldo Ross’s "Profile Portrait of an Asian Man", a striking oil painting at the Harvard Art Museums. The sitter's robe, with its bold stripes, catches my eye. What can you tell me about the materials used in the artwork’s creation? Curator: The visible brushstrokes suggest a rapid application of pigment, pointing towards a possible emphasis on speed and efficiency in its making. How does this process relate to the artist's aesthetic goals, and perhaps the social context of portraiture at the time? Editor: That’s interesting. It makes me consider how the making of this portrait reflects the artist's and the sitter’s social positions and the consumption of art objects. Curator: Exactly! By examining the labor and materials, we can move beyond just the visual representation and consider the social dynamics at play. This reframes how we view the piece.