Still Life with Dead Poultry c. 1663 - 1664

Curator: Abraham Mignon’s *Still Life with Dead Poultry,* created around 1663-1664, presents quite the assortment of…well, dead birds. It’s oil on canvas, currently residing at the Städel Museum. Editor: Yikes, my first impression? A bit macabre, isn’t it? But also… exquisitely rendered. Look at the light catching those feathers! There’s a weird kind of beauty in the arrangement, almost baroque in its excess. Curator: Indeed. Let's consider the materiality: oil paint allowed Mignon to achieve incredible detail. The textures, from the soft plumage to the sheen on the table… these denote considerable artistic labor. Editor: And there’s a strange drama happening. The composition is… crammed, overloaded, even? But there’s life in it, paradoxically. A butterfly, some insects – almost like nature reclaiming the scene. Ironic, don't you think? Curator: Mignon operated within very specific socio-economic structures, fulfilling commissions that reflect consumption and wealth. These paintings were commodities, and also represent societal attitudes towards food, hunting, and nature itself. Editor: Okay, Professor Materialist! But beyond the class dynamics, it’s just fascinating to see death so…stylized. The almost theatrical lighting, those drooping heads. It's as though they are players on a stage after a final curtain call. Bit bleak but what can I say? I am in love! Curator: And don't forget, oil painting's materiality—pigments sourced globally, labor of grinding and mixing. Also this wasn't necessarily art, in a contemporary sense: it might be regarded as luxurious interior decoration. Editor: Point taken. Seeing it from that production and societal point of view casts a different light… albeit still pretty gloomy, considering what’s displayed. Ultimately, this Baroque extravagance reveals deeper layers: death, societal expectations and, of course, artistic skill. It is, to put it plainly, amazing. Curator: Indeed, by observing this work’s raw materials and considering how its making was shaped by society, we can now leave it behind, and move onto more!