Plaster Statuette of a Female Torso 1886

Editor: This is Van Gogh's "Plaster Statuette of a Female Torso," created in 1886. It seems like an oil painting, depicting exactly what the title says, a plaster sculpture. I’m struck by how rough and expressive the brushstrokes are, especially compared to the smooth, idealized form of the classical torso itself. What can we say about it? Curator: Consider what plaster meant at this time. It was cheap, readily available - a material for practice. It wasn't precious like marble, right? This puts into question the very idea of 'high art.' We have the labor-intensive classical ideal rendered quickly and economically with another kind of labour - that of applying paint. Where do we locate value, then? Editor: That's a great point. It seems he's interested in subverting that hierarchy, placing more value, perhaps, in the process of creating, than in the preciousness of the material itself. So it's less about the 'what' and more about the 'how'? Curator: Exactly! Van Gogh here seems to be wrestling with how we give objects and artistic labor value. He shows that something meaningful can arise from less prestigious means. Why would he use painting to copy a pre-existing object of classical beauty and then render it crudely? It asks interesting questions about commodification and the ready availability of classical ideals through cheap copies. Editor: I never considered that. It challenges the idea of art as something inherently precious or elite. I think I get a sense that the labour itself becomes something precious in this piece. Curator: Yes! Thinking about the conditions of production – what the art is *made of* and *how* – transforms the way we appreciate art history. Editor: Thank you; thinking of process opens it up so much. Curator: Indeed! The lens of materiality can really shift our perspective on Van Gogh and much more art from that period.