Toy Bank: Horse c. 1939

Chris Makrenos painted this horse bank; its date is unknown and its making is a mystery. Look at how Makrenos has worked with the shades of dark brown and how the horse seems to emerge from a dream, like a memory of a toy found in the attic. I wonder what it was like to create this, with the artist contemplating the toy’s form, its smooth surface, and how it might have felt in the hand. Consider the horse's mane. It is thick and almost sculptural, giving the animal a sense of nobility. The dark color adds to its sense of mystery. It reminds me of some folk art I’ve seen. Artists are always drawing inspiration from one another across time. It’s an ongoing conversation. They all add to the creative soup! The embodied expression embraces ambiguity, allowing for multiple interpretations of meaning.