Blond Man 

Alice Pike Barney painted Blond Man with oil on canvas, sometime during her career. Oil paint has been a favored medium for centuries due to its versatility, allowing for rich colors, subtle gradations, and the ability to build up layers of texture. Barney skillfully exploits these qualities, using visible brushstrokes to give the painting an energetic surface. The materiality of the paint itself—its viscosity, its opacity—contributes significantly to the work's expressiveness. The artist uses techniques, tools, and skilled traditions that belong to histories of creative practices and aesthetics, alongside that of craft and fine arts. Barney’s choice of materials and the labor-intensive process of oil painting underscores the value she placed on this image, challenging traditional distinctions between craft and fine art. Appreciating the materials and making of the Blond Man allows us to fully understand its cultural and social significance.