Feeding the Fowls Possibly 1920

Curator: Oh, this is Mark Fisher's "Feeding the Fowls," currently residing here at the Tate. I feel such a profound sense of calm looking at it. Editor: It’s fascinating how Fisher uses these thick impasto strokes to depict such a commonplace rural scene—almost obscuring the labor involved in feeding those chickens. Curator: Exactly! It’s that contrast, the gritty reality softened by the dreamlike quality of the paint that really gets me. It’s as though the labor becomes secondary to the overall atmosphere. Editor: And the repetitive nature of chicken farming is evident here. Look at the material construction of the chicken coop, the pen, the feeders. These are all testaments to human intervention and material ingenuity. Curator: Absolutely, you can almost feel the artist’s appreciation for the simple life. It’s like a hazy memory, a pastoral dream. Editor: Yes, and it also serves as a reminder of the material conditions that underpin even the most idyllic scenes. Curator: It makes me wonder, you know, what did he truly feel about those chickens. Editor: So, it’s more than just a pretty picture. It’s a reflection on the way we make our world and the lives of the fowl.