The Mists Of The Mountains 1912

Editor: Herbert James Draper's "The Mists of the Mountains," painted in 1912, feels heavy despite its ethereal figures. The darkness at the bottom really contrasts with the lighter mountain backdrop. What can you tell me about this work? Curator: The title gestures at nature, but it is precisely the artifice of production we should consider. What "materials" are truly at play here? Note how Draper, as a manufacturer of fantasy, marshals oil paint, but also the very bodies – likely exploited labor – of his models, alongside mythical tropes readily consumed by the bourgeoisie. The mountains in the backdrop are secondary to this economy. Editor: So you're saying the real subject isn't mythology or landscape, but…labor? Curator: In a way, yes. Consider the artistic labour Draper invested in this Romantic style painting. The artist converts the labour into a consumable item, a reflection of its contemporary social mores, made desirable through the aesthetics of idealized figures and sensational themes. It disguises its manufactured nature, offering a fantasy born out of very real production. Where does myth end and labor begin in constructing these paintings? Editor: That’s a really interesting way to look at it. I hadn't considered the role of the models' labor in creating the final piece. Curator: Precisely. By thinking of it this way, we disrupt a simple reading of the picture as being a pretty image of women in a landscape to reveal something far more complex about consumption, fabrication and display. Editor: I see what you mean. I'll definitely think about paintings differently now. Thanks for the perspective.