Horses in the Afternoon 1961

Tadashi Nakayama created "Horses in the Afternoon" using woodblock print techniques. The composition is dominated by two stylized horses, rendered in bold black and white stripes that create a striking visual rhythm. Nakayama's careful arrangement of lines and shapes flattens the image, challenging traditional perspective. The horses almost appear as abstract forms, their bodies merging with the background. The restricted palette enhances the graphic quality, while small red details add visual interest, breaking the monochromatic scheme. This work is a semiotic interplay; the horses, though recognizable, are reduced to essential forms, inviting us to decode their underlying structure. The rigid forms of the animals, combined with the texture of the print, invite us to reconsider our understanding of representation and abstraction, reflecting modernism's broader interrogation of form and meaning.