Portrait of a Man 17th century

Editor: This "Portrait of a Man," from the 17th century, is displayed at the SMK. It's anonymous, oil on canvas, but the way the light catches his face makes him feel very present. What draws your eye when you look at this painting? Curator: I'm immediately drawn to the materials themselves – the quality of the canvas, the pigments chosen. How were those pigments sourced, prepared, and how does the application of those layers of oil paint build to create the illusion of flesh and fabric? Think about the labor involved; who ground the pigments, who primed the canvas? Editor: That’s a really interesting way to look at it; I tend to focus on the subject. How does that relate to the… meaning, perhaps? Curator: Well, even the subject is tied to materials and production. Consider the black cap. The dye itself would have signified something about his access to specific resources, the wool perhaps traded from distant lands, not to mention the implications for how the production of the paint served larger forces. Editor: So, looking at the process of making, the materiality, tells us more than just looking at the final, completed image? Curator: Precisely. It makes us question not just what we see, but how and why it was made. How did the materials and process of its making shape the society of the time? Editor: I see what you mean. Considering the physical making process, rather than the individual portrayed. Thanks, that gives me a lot to think about. Curator: And it invites us to question what and who portraits like these traditionally celebrate.