Landscape at Giverny 1887

Claude Monet painted this "Landscape at Giverny" with oil on canvas, engaging with a well-worn practice. It is easy to overlook how paintings like this one emerged through the Industrial Revolution. Consider the work involved in making a painting. Raw materials, like pigments, had to be extracted from the earth or developed through complex chemical processes. Canvas was produced in factories. Brushes were manufactured. All of this took place in a globalized economy, involving countless laborers. The very act of painting, with its repetitive brushstrokes and careful observation, can be seen as a kind of labor itself. By paying close attention to the materials and production processes behind this seemingly straightforward landscape, we can gain a deeper appreciation for the complex social and economic forces that shaped its creation. This challenges any divide between fine art and the realities of everyday life and labor.