The Donkey Rider 1912

August Gaul’s bronze sculpture of a young boy riding a donkey shows how artists wrestle with ideas through form. I imagine Gaul, working with clay, building up the form, smoothing it, adding details, and all the while thinking about the relationship between boy and beast. Look at how the boy sits so confidently, one arm casually resting on his thigh. What was Gaul thinking when he made that gesture? How did he want us to perceive the boy's character? And the donkey, sturdy and dependable, carries his young charge with quiet strength. There's a vulnerability in the figures; a contrast between the boy's exposed body and the animal's solid frame. I keep coming back to the hands. Big strong hands for a little boy. They are holding the reins but the donkey looks like he knows where he is going. Like painters layering brushstrokes, sculptors build form and meaning. These pieces are connected, speaking to one another across time, pushing our perceptions and inspiring new ways of seeing.