The Street of Blood, Delhi 1880

Curator: Look at this, "The Street of Blood, Delhi" by Marianne North, created in 1880. It’s an oil painting. Editor: Well, that's quite a title. It’s intriguing because what hits you first isn’t blood at all, but a haze of blue-greys, almost like looking through a softened lens. There’s an inherent romanticism despite what the title suggests, but that could be a product of our current viewing position—separated by a century or so. Curator: True, there’s definitely that Orientalist leaning, softening the edges perhaps. North traveled extensively and her works often served to document flora, but also the urban life she encountered. The architectural forms tell a particular story of the time, wouldn’t you agree? The pointed arches and minarets hinting at Islamic influences. Editor: Precisely. It offers this quiet perspective on a very vibrant scene. And of course, it prompts us to consider North's perspective as a European woman, what she chose to portray and, perhaps more importantly, what she omitted or softened through her own cultural lens. There’s a controlled chaos happening in the frame—everything seems to be buzzing with activity, figures bustling, stalls laden. How did it all feel to her? Curator: That ambiguity almost amplifies the mystery doesn’t it? It speaks of privilege, the way she has captured everyday life in a faraway place, almost as an outsider looking in. This gaze perpetuates power dynamics doesn't it, through artistic license, it freezes a culture at a moment in time, doesn't it? A scene far removed from the colonial contexts… and yet so full of a foreign life. Editor: But doesn’t that romantic framing grant us access that feels honest at least? The artist lets us engage—we ponder the narratives while reflecting on our position viewing those historical gazes… the perspective we bring can shape how we consider that Street of Blood... I wouldn't want that feeling of melancholy, captured under layers of glazing oil, to go to waste. Curator: No, not at all. Perhaps by reflecting, with works like this we find the space to navigate history…