Rodeo c. 1935 - 1939

James Russell Sherman made this image, Rodeo, using graphite on paper. Look at the marks here, the hatching and cross-hatching. See how he builds up the tones, the shadows, with these tiny, repeated gestures? It's like he's constructing the whole scene bit by bit. You can really see the process of image-making laid bare. The landscape is rendered as this very intricate, almost obsessive build-up of marks. It’s not about capturing a fleeting impression, it’s about building an image through labor, almost like manual work. There’s an honesty to it, an absence of any flashy technique. You could compare this to Milton Avery, they both were invested in the landscape and everyday life. Like Avery, Sherman offers a personal meditation on place, space, and time. It shows us that art isn’t about perfection, it’s about the journey of getting there.