A la Recherche du Temps Perdu 

Charles-Amable Lenoir painted this portrait, A la Recherche du Temps Perdu, using oil on canvas. A traditional material, oil paint is made by grinding pigments into linseed or other plant-based oil. The artist has built up the image through layers of careful brushwork. The paint's inherent qualities of viscosity allow for blending and layering, seen especially in the model's skin tones and the folds of her dress. The materiality of oil paint also allows for subtle gradations of light and shadow, creating a sense of depth and volume. Lenoir also used the texture of the canvas to create a sense of realism. Although the subject appears to be a simple portrait, the title of the work refers to Marcel Proust's famous novel, "In Search of Lost Time," tying it to wider social issues of nostalgia, memory, and cultural identity. Ultimately, the way that Lenoir manipulates the materials and processes of painting, and the context in which he made it, enhances our understanding of the artwork's full meaning, challenging any distinction between art and craft.