The Cock Tavern, Cheam, Surrey c. 1745

Editor: This is Richard Wilson's "The Cock Tavern, Cheam, Surrey." It's undated, but he lived from 1712 to 1782. It feels like a painting about everyday life, but also very much about the land itself. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The painting reflects a particular moment of enclosure and social transformation. Consider the tavern itself: a space of social gathering, but also a site of exclusion. Who is welcome here, and who is not? How does the idyllic landscape mask the realities of land ownership and labor? Editor: That's a great point. I hadn't considered the power dynamics at play. Curator: The very act of painting this scene is an act of claiming ownership, of defining who belongs and who doesn't. What do you think Wilson is trying to say about the relationship between people and place? Editor: I see how it is not just a simple landscape, but a complex statement about society and land. Curator: Exactly. And that makes all the difference.