Rodeo c. 1935 - 1939

James Russell Sherman made this work, Rodeo, using pencil on paper. You know, looking at this picture, I can imagine Sherman out there in the American West, trying to capture the energy of a rodeo. I see the swirling dust, the cowboys perched on their horses, the anticipation in the air. The bull kicks up its heels and races forward. I wonder what it was like for Sherman to sit there and draw, trying to capture the movement and chaos of it all. I bet he had to work fast to capture all the action. I am thinking about other artists like Thomas Hart Benton who were trying to capture and chronicle American life at this time, each drawing from their own experiences and perspectives. Artists are always responding to one another, either directly or indirectly, and that's what keeps art alive. Ultimately, art isn't about fixed meanings, but rather about opening up possibilities. It's a constant dance of interpretation.