Native American and Equestrian Studies (from Sketchbook) 1857 - 1860

Editor: We’re looking at “Native American and Equestrian Studies (from Sketchbook)” by John Quincy Adams Ward, created between 1857 and 1860 using ink and pencil on paper. It’s currently held at The Met. My first thought is that it feels like a peek into an artist’s mind at work - raw, unfiltered thoughts taking shape on the page. What do you make of it? Curator: Exactly! I feel like I'm riffling through Ward's own visual diary. Look at the dynamic energy in those sketched figures and horses. You get a sense of the artist trying to capture a feeling of movement and raw power. There's something wonderfully unresolved and exploratory here. Tell me, does the composition remind you of anything specific? Perhaps historical artworks? Editor: Maybe a bit like preparatory sketches from history painting, like studies for grand battle scenes, even though the subjects here are so varied? Curator: Precisely. Ward clearly drew inspiration from earlier academic traditions of representing native peoples and their interactions with horses. I also find a palpable tension between idealized romanticism and attempts at realistic observation. Can you sense it too? Editor: Yes, definitely. Some of the figures seem idealized, while others are much more grounded, almost ethnographic in detail. Curator: It begs the question of representation, doesn’t it? We have these fleeting, perhaps incomplete studies offering insights into how one nineteenth-century artist navigated representing "the other," especially regarding a topic rife with political undercurrents. Editor: That's really insightful. I was initially drawn to the loose sketching style, but now I'm also considering the social implications embedded in those lines. It’s amazing how much a seemingly simple sketchbook page can hold! Curator: Absolutely. Art whispers secrets through the ages, if you care to listen. This seemingly straightforward drawing practice becomes an invitation to consider a past vision and reflect upon today's outlooks.