Hurdlers c. 1935

Willard Ayer Nash made "Hurdlers" using black ink, exploring bodies in motion. The beauty of this piece lies in its monochrome simplicity, the artist using only shades of black to capture the energy of the athletes. I'm drawn to the raw quality of the mark-making, the way Nash’s hand seems so present in each stroke. Look closely, and you can see the direction and pressure of the lines. It’s not about perfection; it’s about capturing a feeling, an action. The hatching marks create a sense of depth and movement. The bodies are not just figures; they are forms caught in a dance of strength and agility. Notice also how the faces aren't overly detailed; this lends them a kind of universal, timeless quality. Nash reminds me a little of Kathe Kollwitz, in the way he used printmaking techniques to explore the human form, stripping it back to its most basic elements. In both artists' work, there's an acceptance of ambiguity, an understanding that art doesn't always have to provide definitive answers.