Fyodor Grigoryevich Gogel, Russian Lieutenant General 

Editor: This is a portrait of Fyodor Grigoryevich Gogel, a Russian Lieutenant General, by George Dawe, painted in oil. The details of his uniform are remarkable. I'm curious, what stands out to you about this piece, especially considering its historical context? Curator: Let's think about the very materiality of this piece. Oil paint, for example, wasn’t cheap; its availability and use speak volumes about power dynamics and class. Dawe mass-produced portraits of Russian generals for the Winter Palace. Consider the implications of that assembly-line approach to creating what we might now call 'art'. Editor: Assembly line? Really? It seems hard to reconcile "art" with mass production. Curator: But where do we draw that line? Dawe employed assistants, controlling the means of production. His 'art' becomes a commodity, tied to the military prowess of the Russian Empire. Notice the layers of paint, the texture – each choice reflects labor, time, and ultimately, money. It wasn’t just Dawe; consider the individuals who mined and processed the pigments. How might their labor affect our understanding of this object? Editor: That's a very different way of looking at a portrait! So, you’re saying we should think about who benefitted from the making of this, beyond just the artist and the sitter? Curator: Precisely. And the social conditions that allowed it to be made in the first place. By understanding these economic structures, we are viewing art making less as solitary artistic endeavors and more as an operation within particular material and historical parameters. Editor: This definitely provides food for thought about where to seek value within a painting. I'll never see art quite the same again! Curator: Exactly! It shows us how focusing on the "stuff" around the painting opens up fascinating conversations about who profits and how materials can signify power.