St Romuald 1641

Guercino created 'St Romuald' with oil paint on canvas. Here, the weave of the fabric support is completely obscured beneath layers of pigment, built up through careful labor. Note how the artist has rendered the Saint's white robes. These folds of fabric are the direct result of Guercino's manipulation of the material, oil paint, applied with brushes of varying sizes and manipulated to create texture and shadow. Consider the social context of painting in the 17th Century. Pigments were often sourced from across the globe, and the production of the canvas itself was an industry employing many hands. Through his material choices and application, Guercino asks us to consider the intersection of labor, material, and artistic skill, blurring the boundaries between the handmade and the industrially produced. This reminds us of the importance of considering the material and social context in which art is made.