Spur 1935 - 1942

Eldon Allen rendered this 'Spur', with watercolor, bringing forth symbols of dominion and cultivation. Consider the star-shaped rowel—a motif that pierces through time. In ancient cultures, stars represented divine guidance, a celestial compass directing mortals. Here, the star, fixed to the spur, becomes an instrument of control, a tool to guide a beast and, by extension, to tame the wild. Reflect upon how the act of horsemanship, ingrained in human history, mirrors our internal drives to govern and direct. The spur, a mediator between rider and horse, embodies a profound psychoanalytic tension: the friction between instinct and discipline. Just as the serpent in ancient lore shed its skin, resurfacing with renewed vigor, the symbolism of the spur evolves. Though its primal function remains rooted in control, it becomes a powerful visual marker of the evolving relationship between humans and the natural world.