Rocking Horse c. 1941

Selma Sandler made this drawing of a Rocking Horse, we don't know exactly when, using what looks like pencil or maybe watercolor on paper. Imagine her looking at this toy, trying to capture its essence with simple lines and shades of brown. It’s like she’s not just drawing a thing, but the idea of a rocking horse, the memory of play, the feel of wood. The textures she creates, those tiny lines, mimic the grain of the wood. What was she thinking about when she made it? What did she want to say about the toy? Maybe Sandler was interested in the way a simple object can hold so much meaning, like the folk artists who paint their worlds and their memories. There’s a dialogue happening here, between Sandler and the horse, between her and other artists, between you and the work, too. Painting lets us explore uncertainty, opening up multiple ways to see and feel.