Carousel horse 1935 - 1942

Mildred Bent made this lovely Carousel Horse out of watercolor and graphite. It's got this gentle palette, mostly browns and reds, and you can almost feel the softness of the graphite sketching underneath. Artmaking is so often a process, you know? Layering and building. Look at how Bent handled the surface. The paint isn't trying to hide itself. It's thin and transparent in places, letting the paper breathe, but then thicker around the saddle. You can practically see her hand moving, making these decisive marks. There's a particular spot, right near the horse's front legs, where the brown deepens. It gives the whole piece a grounding, a sense of weight. It reminds me a little of Joseph Stella's fascination with industrial forms but with a folksy, personal touch. Art's this big conversation, everyone riffing off each other, and there's always room for different voices. It's not about nailing down one true meaning, but letting all these ideas spin around.