Cowboys 1952

Saul Steinberg made this drawing, Cowboys, using pencil on paper. It’s the kind of drawing where the process is very evident, isn’t it? The lines are tentative, searching, like he’s thinking through the forms right there on the page. There’s a real material quality to it, even though it’s just pencil. Look at the way he builds up the lines to create depth and texture. It’s almost sculptural, as if he’s carving these cowboys out of the paper itself. And that one cowboy, the one in the middle? The way he’s constructed his body out of all these different shapes and lines is so playful. It reminds me of how we build up our own identities, piecing together different influences and experiences. I think of Paul Klee when I see this, both artists share that love of line and playful construction. It makes you realize that art is always a conversation, an ongoing exchange of ideas across time.