Still life named : The afternoon sun 

Editor: This is "Still life named : The afternoon sun" by Panayiotis Tetsis, and it looks to be an oil painting. The way the light hits the objects feels very tactile. What's your take on this piece? Curator: I’m interested in how Tetsis’ use of oil paint—a common material, yes—challenges notions of what “high” art is. Notice the visible brushstrokes; the artist seems to revel in the *act* of painting, drawing attention to his labor. Editor: So, it's almost like the painting itself is more about the process than just the still life depicted? Curator: Precisely. Consider the socioeconomic context of the art world. Who has access to oil paints? Who is afforded the leisure time to create art? By foregrounding the materials and labor, Tetsis invites us to think about the means of production behind this seemingly simple still life. How do the textures contribute to this understanding? Editor: I see what you mean. The thickness of the paint, especially in the highlights, makes it seem less… effortless, and more like a constructed thing. Almost like the viewer can sense how he built this out of mere paint. Curator: Exactly! He transforms the commonplace, like these ceramic vases, through his artistic labour, but without hiding the process. He displays them. He does that so much in paintings like this, especially his landscapes and human depictions. What do you make of that? Editor: I hadn't considered it that way before. It's made me think differently about how much effort goes into something that might look easily executed from afar. I’ll definitely be viewing other expressionistic art pieces from the lens of labor from now. Thanks! Curator: My pleasure! It's all about unpacking the layers of production. I’ll see you at the next piece.