Horse and Wagon c. 1935 - 1943

Chuzo Tamotzu made this drawing, Horse and Wagon, with what looks like charcoal or graphite. It’s all about the process, you can almost feel Tamotzu smudging and layering to build up the form, and the marks are so gestural, they're practically dancing on the paper! The physicality of the medium is front and center here. Look at the way Tamotzu uses varied pressure to create light and shadow, especially in the horse's body. It's like he’s sculpting with the charcoal, giving the animal a real sense of weight and presence. Notice those vertical lines in the background, they're not just a wall, they're an echo of the marks in the foreground, creating a kind of rhythm across the whole image. Tamotzu's got this raw, expressive energy that reminds me of Käthe Kollwitz, especially in her drawings of working-class life. Both artists aren't afraid to let the process show, embracing the messiness and ambiguity of art-making.