Dimensions: support: 527 x 921 mm
Copyright: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Editor: Here we have Francis Hayman's 'The Wrestling Scene from ‘As You Like It’', a painting depicting a staged wrestling match. The detail in the clothing stands out. What do you see in the way Hayman has depicted this scene? Curator: Note the materials used – oil on canvas – standard for its time. How does Hayman’s choice of this medium affect our reading of the theatricality versus the labor involved in its production? The painting invites us to consider the social function of art. Editor: That's interesting, how the materials themselves reflect the society. I'll definitely think about that more. Curator: Indeed. The very act of depiction here becomes a commentary on performance and audience, the material representation reflecting societal values of leisure and display.
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http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/hayman-the-wrestling-scene-from-as-you-like-it-n06206
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This picture illustrates a scene from Shakespeare’s comedy, As You Like It, the moment when Orlando throws Charles, the Duke’s wrestler, to the ground, watched by Duke Frederick, Rosalind and Celia. The horizontal format of the picture is similar to that of the large narrative scenes that Hayman painted around this time to decorate the supper boxes at Vauxhall Gardens. This picture, which is too small to have served such a purpose may, however, have been produced as a demonstration piece, quite probably made for Jonathan Tyers, the proprietor of Vauxhall Gardens. Gallery label, August 2004
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