Partridge Shooting 

George Morland’s oil on canvas, ‘Partridge Shooting,’ shows us a moment of leisure made possible by immense social and material inequity. With the ‘invention’ of oil paint in the 15th century, came an enhanced capacity to render textures and capture lifelike scenes, as demonstrated in this piece. The artist skillfully blends pigments with oil, manipulating the viscosity to create depth and luminosity. Look closely and you can see how Morland has captured the crisp autumn air. However, we must also consider the economic system that underpins this artwork. Morland relies on a complex network of trade routes and industries, from the production of pigments to the weaving of canvas. Who are the laborers that enable this rural idyll, and where are they in the frame? The scene is an aesthetic product of their invisible work. By appreciating this, we can fully understand the painting's complicated meanings.