[title not known] 1824

Curator: My first thought is, chaotic! It's a flurry of motion, all captured in this tiny little print. Editor: Indeed. This piece, by Abraham Cooper, an English artist who lived from 1787 to 1868, depicts two men on horseback locked in some sort of skirmish. It’s part of the Tate collection. Curator: I love how Cooper uses such sparse lines to convey so much energy. You can practically hear the horses snorting and the clashing of...swords, maybe? Editor: More likely sabres, given the period. It's a clash of wills, certainly, and perhaps also a depiction of social tensions played out on a personal scale, with horses traditionally symbolizing power. Curator: A little dust-up then, made operatic through these dynamic lines. I find it quite beautiful actually. Editor: It’s a reminder that even conflict can be rendered with an evocative grace. The visual impact is lasting.