Market Day at Old Maran Hall Possibly 1871

Curator: This is Edward Gurden Dalziel's "Market Day at Old Maran Hall," currently residing in the Tate Collections. It's a small print. Editor: It feels melancholic. The shepardess looks exhausted and contemplative among the sheep and looming buildings. Curator: Absolutely. Dalziel's work often reflects rural life, idealized but also hinting at the labor and social structures inherent within it. The market day implies exchange and work. Editor: You can see that process in the way the figures are rendered, and the landscape is built up with dense, detailed cross-hatching. These lines are made by a person. Curator: The politics of imagery are interesting here, and whether this scene is presented as idyllic or whether the artist is making a social commentary. Editor: I find it compelling how Dalziel uses those detailed lines to draw attention to the act of its making. Curator: It gives one a great deal to consider when viewing this piece. Editor: Yes, I agree. There's an interesting tension between the subject matter and the materials.