The Return to the Front. Victoria Railway Station 

Richard Jack painted "The Return to the Front. Victoria Railway Station" with oil on canvas. The materials are traditional, but the subject is not. Oil paint, with its capacity for capturing light and atmosphere, here conveys a scene of industrial efficiency and human emotion. Note the artist’s rendering of the subjects’ clothing. Wool, cotton, and leather - each has a very particular texture. The weight, color, and form of each fabric indicate its purpose, from the soldiers’ uniforms to the civilian’s garments. The artist’s attention to detail and the modes of production of the time is evident. These are not the textiles of leisure, but the everyday garb of the working classes. The labor-intensive nature of producing artworks such as this, and the labor of war, reflects the historical context of the work. The artist employs academic, time-consuming techniques of figuration to emphasize the people’s stories, which are usually marginalized. Looking closely at the material and making of this painting shows the intertwined histories of labor, capital, and class, which challenge traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.