Newmarket Heath, with a Rubbing-Down House c. 1765

Curator: Here we have George Stubbs' "Newmarket Heath, with a Rubbing-Down House," housed here at the Tate. The building dominates the canvas. Editor: It feels so stark! The red brick seems to almost vibrate against the pale sky. What was the purpose of these "rubbing-down houses," anyway? Curator: They were crucial for the care of racehorses, essentially early training facilities. Note how Stubbs minimizes any heroic depiction of the animals themselves. Editor: Precisely, there’s an emphasis on the built environment, the labour of care. The materiality of the buildings themselves – brick, tile, wood – speaks to a whole system. Curator: Indeed, the emphasis is not on idealized forms but on the subtle interplay of light and shadow on mundane structures. Editor: Which, in turn, reveals a social landscape through its built forms and its relationship to the heath itself. So much more than just horses!