Amor Caritas after 1897

Editor: Here we have Augustus Saint-Gaudens' "Amor Caritas" from after 1897. It’s a bronze relief set in a wood frame, currently housed at the Art Institute of Chicago. The figure emanates a somber, almost weary benevolence. What's your perspective on this piece? Curator: It's fascinating to consider "Amor Caritas" through the lens of its production. Saint-Gaudens was very invested in the physical making of his art, even the framing of his bronze relief. What does the juxtaposition of bronze, typically associated with grand public monuments, and the intimate, handcrafted wooden frame tell us about the intended audience and consumption of this work? Editor: That’s interesting. I hadn’t considered the framing as integral to the piece itself, more just a decorative element. So, you're thinking about how Saint-Gaudens manipulated expectations surrounding materials? Curator: Precisely. How does the choice of bronze—an industrial material, shaped through a laborious process of casting and finishing—affect our understanding of 'love' and 'charity'? This wasn't a cheap reproduction, consider the resources that went into each stage of production from mining ore to its finishing details. Editor: So, rather than a purely symbolic reading, you emphasize the labor and materials informing our interpretation? Curator: Exactly. Saint-Gaudens challenges the divide between 'high' art and craft. The craftsmanship evident throughout indicates an art that exists not separate from production, but inextricably entwined with it, and distributed to many people outside of the upper classes. Think about the artisans he commissioned, and their own creative input on top of this symbolic iconography. Editor: I see now. Viewing it through the material and production adds a whole other layer to the experience and the work’s intended message. Curator: Absolutely. Examining art through this materialist lens helps us decode what it tells us about society itself.