18th Earl of Pembroke 

Adrian Gottlieb painted this portrait of the 18th Earl of Pembroke using oil on canvas. Gottlieb employs techniques of the Old Masters, carefully layering paint to create a luminous effect. Looking closely, you can see that he has built up the image through thin glazes. This is particularly noticeable in the way light catches the Earl's face, and the sheen on the dog's fur. The artist likely spent many hours applying each layer, allowing it to dry before adding the next. The painting has an intriguing tension between tradition and modernity. Gottlieb has clearly mastered the art of realist portraiture, but has chosen to depict his sitter with a laptop nearby. This element reminds us that even the most skilled handwork exists in a contemporary context, and that technology continues to influence our modes of expression. It is important to recognize the intensive labor and process that goes into every artwork, as we can see here, and challenge historical distinctions between fine art and craft.