Texas Longhorns Football Illustration c. 1990

Jack Davis created this Texas Longhorns football illustration, we don’t know exactly when, but his loose, energetic lines and bold colors speak to a real love for the process of drawing. He wasn’t trying to hide the marks, he reveled in them. The texture is key here, right? Look at the longhorn itself. The lines create a sense of depth and volume, like you could reach out and touch that rippling muscle. Davis is using ink and color washes in a way that feels both controlled and wild. The cross-hatching on the shorts, for example, is super precise. But then you see the drips of color around the edges, and you realize he’s not afraid to let the medium do its thing. The gold drip emanating from the shoe is an unexpected detail that really sings, it’s unexpected and irreverent. Davis’s style reminds me of Gerald Scarfe, another master of caricature who knew how to push a likeness to the point of absurdity. Ultimately, art is about exploring possibilities, not dictating answers.