Print 

Curator: We are looking at a print of a horse's head, crafted with graphite and pencil, attributed to Heywood Hardy. Editor: The immediacy is striking! It feels like I've caught this horse mid-thought. There’s such a melancholic expression in its eye, brought out by the almost stark contrast of light and shadow. Curator: Hardy was quite celebrated for his depictions of animals, and horses in particular were frequent subjects. One could easily argue his art played into a wider admiration for country life and the animals central to that culture. Editor: Absolutely. I wonder how this resonated then versus how it speaks to us now? A symbol of rural life romanticized in a rapidly industrializing society. And that idealized view, filtered through a lens of class and power, might overlook the lived experiences of those working with these animals. Curator: A good point. Equestrian art in particular served as a visible marker of social status, think of hunting scenes for example. This particular piece, given the somewhat humble medium of graphite and pencil, could perhaps indicate a shift towards a different type of patronage, appealing to a wider audience than oil paintings alone. Editor: True. The printmaking process itself democratizes access to the image. Considering Hardy's body of work, I can see his attempt to maybe gently subvert some of the rigid social hierarchies reflected in traditional animal portraiture by using a cheaper, more readily accessible medium. The expressiveness of this work makes me feel as though it transcends class signifiers by humanizing, perhaps even elevating, the animal figure in ways that previous traditions might have stifled. Curator: I think that’s a persuasive read of it. It brings forward the artistic considerations present at the time and still resonating today, beyond a simple pleasing image of a horse. Editor: Precisely. Hopefully viewers can move beyond just appreciating a lovely sketch of a horse into questioning and understanding broader socio-economic implications, not only what’s there but how it was received then and impacts us today.