Carousel Horse c. 1939

Henry Murphy, who lived between 1855 and 1995, made this painting of a Carousel Horse. It’s hard to know exactly when, but I imagine Murphy carefully building up the layers of watercolor to get the depth of the horse against that intense blue ground. I sympathize with Murphy, you know? I bet he loved carousels, the giddy-up rhythm, the painted details, the feeling of flying without leaving the ground. I wonder if he wanted to capture that feeling? You can almost feel the motion, the slight tilt of the horse, its eagerness to run. There is a beautiful contrast between the cool blue background and the warm browns and golds in the saddle. That single raised leg and the flared nostrils really makes you think about the horse's forward momentum. It reminds me of the Futurist painters, like Boccioni, who were obsessed with showing movement and speed. Painting is a conversation across time. We are all influenced by what has come before. It’s like we are all on a carousel together!