On the Edge 2016

Editor: Mark Maggiori's "On the Edge," painted in 2016, shows a cowboy and his horse at the rim of a canyon at sunrise. The scale is impressive. What I find really striking is how small the rider looks against the immensity of the landscape. How do you interpret this work? Curator: What stands out to me is the continuity of the cowboy as a cultural symbol. Think about the lone rider – that solitary figure embodying freedom, resilience, and the conquering of the American West. Here, he is quite literally 'on the edge'. Editor: I see what you mean. The vulnerability of their position overlooking such a vast expanse emphasizes a sense of contemplation and perhaps uncertainty, despite that historic idea of dominance. Curator: Precisely. Look at the horse, too. Historically, the horse signifies power and mobility, but also companionship and the deep bond between humans and nature. Maggiori is playing with this loaded image of the horse, whose position could symbolize an imminent leap. How does this contrast with our contemporary anxieties about climate change? Editor: So, the painting isn't just about the past, but speaks to our present anxieties? The "edge" isn't just geographical but metaphorical? Curator: Exactly. By placing the cowboy on the edge, Maggiori isn't only showing a landscape, he’s commenting on our precarious relationship with it. This modern take on Western iconography offers both nostalgia and a pressing environmental subtext. Editor: It’s fascinating how those symbols from the past get reinterpreted and continue to shape our understanding of the present! Thanks for sharing that, I learned so much today. Curator: My pleasure. Seeing art through the lens of evolving symbolism keeps the conversation alive.