Clio, Euterpe and Thalia 1645

Eustache Le Sueur made this oil on canvas painting depicting Clio, Euterpe, and Thalia, the muses of history, music, and comedy. Consider the canvas – a woven surface, painstakingly prepared with layers of gesso to create a smooth ground. Then the careful mixing of pigments, ground with oil to just the right consistency, before being applied with a brush made of animal hair. Le Sueur's mastery comes through in the subtle gradations of color, the delicate rendering of flesh, and the way the drapery subtly reveals and conceals the figures’ forms. But these effects would be impossible without a deep understanding of his materials. Painting like this was a skilled trade, passed down through workshops. The materials, the making, and the context all come together, challenging traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.