Standing Figure Leaning on a Staff c. 1510

Editor: Here we have Piero di Cosimo’s “Standing Figure Leaning on a Staff,” circa 1510. It's an ink drawing on paper, currently residing at the Art Institute of Chicago. The hatching feels very active and adds depth. How do you interpret this piece? Curator: As a materialist, I find it compelling to consider the labor embedded in this seemingly simple sketch. The act of repeatedly applying pen to paper, building up tone and texture – this process speaks volumes about the artist's engagement with their materials. Also, notice the relatively inexpensive materials—pen and paper—were crucial to spreading new ideas. Editor: Inexpensive, yes, making art more accessible. So, instead of just seeing a figure, you're suggesting we focus on the "how" and "why" of its creation? Curator: Precisely. Think about the role of paper production in the Renaissance, and how the increased availability of this material affected artistic practices. The rapid spread of drawings enabled by printing made art and ideas much more accessible, not just art objects for the elite. Is this figure simply standing, or is he positioned, perhaps, for reproduction and circulation? Editor: That's a perspective I hadn't considered. I was just seeing a drawing of someone leaning. You’ve made me realize that this work itself is an artifact of specific production methods. Curator: Consider also the ink. What sources, what ingredients were involved in making that dark fluid. What effect might its texture or tone have had on the production of this work, and on others by Cosimo? Editor: So, understanding the materials deepens our understanding of the image and its wider significance. The labor and material production matters more than just… what the drawing looks like! Thank you for expanding my thinking! Curator: Exactly. By focusing on these questions we ground art history in tangible reality, recognizing that art production is itself a material practice.