Ajax 1932

John Steuart Curry made this print called Ajax in 1932. Look at how he renders this huge bull and the prairie landscape around it, just with marks of black ink. It reminds me how artmaking is really a process of translation. Curry wasn't trying to just copy what he saw; he was using the materials he had to recreate his experience of being in this place. The texture is so interesting; look at the way he created the bull's fur with a million tiny strokes. It’s like he's building up the image, bit by bit, through careful observation. The clouds are rendered with such a light touch, while the bull is dark and heavy, like it's rooted to the earth. There are also two little birds sitting right on the bull’s back, as if the animal is a part of the landscape itself. It is interesting to compare Curry's work to artists like Thomas Hart Benton, who were also depicting scenes of American life at this time. But Curry’s approach feels unique, finding a sense of poetry in the everyday.