Let'er Buck by Lyman Byxbe

Let'er Buck 1937

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drawing, print, ink, graphite

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drawing

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print

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landscape

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figuration

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ink

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graphite

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realism

Dimensions: plate: 3.49 × 2.38 cm (1 3/8 × 15/16 in.) sheet: 14.29 × 10.16 cm (5 5/8 × 4 in.)

Copyright: National Gallery of Art: CC0 1.0

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.

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