Drovers with a Pair of Rearing Horses 

Curator: Here we have "Drovers with a Pair of Rearing Horses," a watercolor and ink drawing attributed to Thomas Rowlandson. Editor: It's so chaotic. The movement feels frenzied, almost violently energetic. Are these horses fighting? The men look like they're in distress too. Curator: Rowlandson often used caricature, and you certainly see that here. The exaggerated expressions—the wide eyes, the gaping mouths—emphasize the drama of the scene. He seems interested in capturing the emotional extremes. Editor: It’s striking how raw it feels. The use of line, so loose and unrefined, suggests an urgency. Is this a criticism of the social hierarchy, or a commentary on human hubris perhaps, imagining our attempt to control these majestic creatures? Curator: Perhaps. The symbolism of the rearing horse can be multi-layered. In Western art, it has often represented power, virility, even nobility. But here, those connotations are subverted. There’s struggle, not triumph. It seems to tap into a kind of timeless human drama. We want to domesticate and the natural world resists. Editor: And it raises questions of exploitation and the ethics of animal labor, which given the historical context of rural England, connects directly to class disparities and power imbalances. Rowlandson might be showing us that those perceived as superior in society are as fallible as their methods for maintaining order. Curator: It makes you think, doesn’t it, about our continuing negotiation with forces both external and internal. How we strive to manage both our world and our own volatile selves. Editor: Indeed. It really makes one wonder what’s raging beneath the surface in our own encounters. This raw expression captures such inner turmoil. Curator: Yes, Rowlandson leaves you wrestling with something unsettlingly familiar, and that resonates. Editor: Precisely, and perhaps inspires us to approach control and domination with a critical eye.