Spring Days, engraved by the Brothers Dalziel

Curator: This is "Spring Days," an engraving by the Brothers Dalziel after a work by Frederick Walker. Editor: It’s incredibly dense, almost claustrophobic. The heavy blacks give it a somber, rather than springtime, feel. Curator: Walker, who died quite young, was associated with the aesthetic movement and the revival of wood engraving. This was for a popular magazine, and the Dalziels were master engravers. Editor: But the dark tones…are we meant to see these young women as burdened, perhaps by societal expectations? The girl in the foreground seems almost trapped by the thicket. Curator: It's interesting you read it that way. I've always seen the density as reflecting the abundance of nature in spring. The image was meant for mass consumption, so the themes would not have been radical. Editor: Perhaps, but even popular art can subtly reflect the constraints placed upon women's lives at the time. It is good to consider the politics of imagery in a piece like this. Curator: Well, it certainly offers a lot to consider, even beyond its historical context. Editor: Indeed. I am left thinking about how artists use nature to reflect social conditions.