George Washington 

Thomas Sully’s portrait of George Washington is a masterclass in oil painting, a technique with a fascinating social history. The fluidity of oil paint allowed Sully to capture the textures of Washington’s face and clothing with remarkable detail. Look at how he blends the colors to create subtle variations in tone, giving the portrait a sense of depth and realism. But the material itself—oil paint—speaks to a wider context. Developed in the Renaissance, oil painting became synonymous with the rise of a wealthy merchant class, eager to display their affluence through commissioned portraits and landscapes. The production of oil paint also relied on complex supply chains, involving the extraction of pigments from various sources, often through exploitative labor practices. Even in Sully's time, the act of painting was not merely an artistic endeavor, but a reflection of social hierarchies and economic systems. Understanding these material and social dimensions allows us to appreciate the full complexity of this seemingly straightforward portrait, reminding us that art is never created in a vacuum.