A Riverside Pasture with Sheep 

Editor: Here we have "A Riverside Pasture with Sheep" by William Sidney Cooper. The materials are possibly oil on canvas. It has such a calm and peaceful mood. I’m immediately drawn to the textures – you can almost feel the wool of the sheep. How would you interpret this work? Curator: As a materialist, I see more than just a tranquil scene. Consider the labour embedded in its creation. The production of the oil paints themselves – the mining of pigments, the refining of oils. Even the canvas – grown, harvested, woven. Who benefitted from each stage of this process? Editor: That’s fascinating. I hadn’t really thought about that. The painting depicts quite an idyllic scene of rural life. Does the historical context change how you see this, materially? Curator: Precisely! Look at the relationship between land, labour, and capital. Were these sheep raised for wool, meat, or both? The scale of sheep farming had a tremendous impact on the English countryside, enabling a system of power for landowners at the expense of agricultural labourers. Does this calm, idyllic representation hide those realities? Editor: It gives a completely different context to the scene than first meets the eye. Thanks to you, I now perceive that there's a huge amount hidden behind that gentle riverside landscape. Curator: And behind the methods used to produce it. Paying close attention to material means is a route to looking at power and resources throughout history. Editor: Definitely, I now feel empowered to research it further from a materialist viewpoint.