Polo 1935

Francis Chapin created this print, Polo, using a monochrome palette to capture a game of Polo. It's like he's wrestling with the image, you can see the push and pull of marks. The energy of the game is palpable through Chapin's frantic lines, the horses and riders almost blur into one another! Notice the build-up of the dark grey tones toward the center of the print, this creates a vortex of movement that pulls you into the action. Then you realize that the two vertical lines are boundary markers, and the figures become legible as players and spectators. The scratchy and uneven texture of the print adds to its raw and immediate feel. I can feel hints of Daumier’s lithographs in the subject matter, but Chapin’s broken marks feel so much more modern. It reminds me that artmaking isn't about answering questions, but about how artists interpret the world around them.