Susanna and the Elders 1597 - 1640

Editor: This is Peter Paul Rubens’ "Susanna and the Elders," likely painted sometime between 1597 and 1640, using oil on canvas. It’s quite striking; Susanna’s pose conveys a sense of vulnerability. What stands out to you about this work? Curator: Let’s consider the materials. Oil paint lends itself to these luscious textures, that creamy flesh, the sheen on the metalware. And the sheer scale! Works like this, were designed to impress. They signify not just wealth, but access to specific pigments and the time of skilled labor needed for large format canvases. Consider the fur Susanna sits on; the value it signifies but also a physical representation of the consumption and commodification of nature at the time. It literally elevates her above the space she occupies, further separating her from nature. Editor: I see what you mean about the emphasis on materials; even her skin has a material quality. The color palette definitely reinforces that richness too. How does that relate to the narrative? Curator: The Biblical story allows Rubens to showcase these textures and forms, but it's vital to consider who could commission such a work. This is art for the powerful, reaffirming certain hierarchies. Do you think the gaze of the elders is challenged at all by the work's composition and material density? Editor: Hmm, not really challenged. The composition and her nude body are designed to appeal to them. So you're suggesting that even the seemingly moralizing tale ultimately served the patron’s power and taste? Curator: Precisely. The artist becomes almost irrelevant within these structures; materials become the focal point within which value is built upon itself. It allows him to fulfill a demand while being, perhaps passively, compliant to these demands. Editor: That’s a very different way of seeing it than I expected. I’ll definitely think about art through that lens moving forward. Curator: Understanding the socioeconomic factors of material selection within art creation changes one's understanding of the artwork, which can challenge historical and symbolic interpretations, while questioning long held assertions of beauty and what creates value within culture.