John Wilson Carmichael - Corby Viaduct, the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway 1836

John Wilson Carmichael rendered this scene of the Corby Viaduct using oil paints, a medium mastered through years of practice. Notice how the artist contrasts the hand-crafted work of agricultural laborers in the foreground with the industrial achievement of the railway bridge. Each wheat stalk in the fields represents manual labor, juxtaposed against the repetitive, manufactured precision of the viaduct's arches. The viaduct, itself constructed from countless bricks or stones, symbolizes a shift towards mechanized labor and mass production. Carmichael masterfully employs a range of brushstrokes to distinguish between the organic texture of the landscape and the geometric precision of the industrial structure, thus capturing the dynamic interplay between traditional practices and modernity. The painting invites us to consider the social implications of technological advancement, and the transition of labor that defined the industrial revolution. It reminds us to value the skills of craft and the narratives embedded within processes of making.