Mare and Foal 1945

Curator: John Skeaping, born in 1901, created this work, "Mare and Foal." It's currently held in the Tate Collections. Editor: It’s… oddly charming. The soft colours and the rather formal border give it a storybook feel. It almost feels like a pastoral scene but with a stylized, deliberate awkwardness. Curator: Right, Skeaping was deeply interested in animal anatomy but also, importantly, in the social role of animals, often depicting them in farm settings like this. The slight awkwardness comes from a tension between naturalism and idealization. Editor: The colours are very muted, almost pastel. There’s a sense of calm, but I also feel like it’s observing a certain kind of labour and connection between people and animals. It’s sentimental, but it has some emotional honesty to it. Curator: I agree. It asks us to consider our relationship with the natural world and how art helps to shape it. Editor: It’s a very hopeful snapshot of that relationship. I appreciate that.