Fortuna 

Peter Paul Rubens painted Fortuna with oils on canvas. It’s no accident that oil paint became the dominant medium during the rise of mercantile capitalism. Its capacity for layering and blending allowed for an unprecedented naturalism, perfect for rendering textures of fabric, flesh, and all sorts of precious commodities. Rubens was celebrated for his ability to capture these qualities. Fortuna’s skin is luminous, almost edible, and the billowing fabric behind her seems genuinely windswept. But it’s important to remember that this effect depended on a laborious process. Pigments were carefully ground and mixed with oil, applied in thin glazes, each layer demanding time and skill. Rubens ran a large workshop, effectively a factory of art production. Understanding the immense amount of work involved and how the work was organized allows us to appreciate both the artistry on display and the broader economic context in which it was created. The distinction between craft and fine art starts to blur, replaced by a more nuanced view of creative labor.