Let'er Buck 1937

Lyman Byxbe made this tiny etching, called "Let'er Buck", with a metal plate and acid, at some point, who knows when! Byxbe is using the etching process to create a drawing, really, of a bucking bronco. Look at the marks – they aren't about volume or space but rather a collection of lines, dashes and dots that make up the image. I love how the dark, almost scribbled marks of the horse's head contrast with the lighter, more delicate lines of its legs. This contrast gives the horse a sense of wild energy, like it's about to explode off the page. The cowboy is almost incidental, a few lines suggesting a figure being thrown from the horse. It’s as if Byxbe is saying that art, like a bucking bronco, should be unpredictable and a little bit dangerous. Think of how Picasso used etching, and you get a sense of the breadth and variation of this technique. It's all about embracing the unexpected and finding beauty in the raw energy of the process.