Sunlight and Shadow 

Editor: So, we’re looking at Albert Bierstadt's oil painting, “Sunlight and Shadow.” I find it quite evocative with the contrast of light and darkness. What strikes me most is the building's texture, it looks like an aged church or important building in a European city. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Immediately I’m drawn to the way Bierstadt utilizes oil paint. Think about how the materiality of oil, a substance derived from the earth, becomes a means to represent a constructed landscape and its structures. It invites us to consider the economic and labor systems involved in extracting and processing such materials. The title guides our eyes, but what about the conditions to produce such beauty? Editor: So you're talking about where oil paint comes from... but doesn't that apply to every oil painting? Is it still relevant here, particularly? Curator: Absolutely. But it becomes *particularly* relevant when paired with this "cityscape." Imagine the urban development—the social and political machinations—required to erect the very building Bierstadt depicts. How much human capital to erect this construction and ensure the production, consumption, and circulation of artwork of this size and with this amount of detail. We can ask, who paid for this building? Who uses it now? Who gets remembered versus forgotten through this building? Editor: I hadn't thought about it that way, about who benefits from showing, building, seeing art. Curator: The brushstrokes aren't just conveying light and shadow; they're tangible evidence of human labor and decisions, from the sourcing of materials to the application of paint. Each stroke bears the imprint of Bierstadt’s hand, and, indirectly, the hands of everyone involved in the process. Now, tell me, what does it do for you to learn that information? Editor: It really gives a sense of context. The painting isn't just a pretty picture; it's part of a whole system of production, and also wealth.