Ayunkara 1918

Editor: This is George Washington Lambert’s “Ayunkara,” painted in 1918. It's an oil painting, a landscape done in plein-air style. It has a quiet feel, almost dreamlike, with soft colors and that far-off horizon. I'm drawn to the two horses near the horizon; it lends such a lonely, yet romantic sentiment to the land. What stands out to you when you look at it? Curator: Lonely *is* the perfect word! This vista sings a tune of wide-open space and contemplative silence, wouldn't you say? Lambert had such a knack for distilling the mood of a place. What I find particularly moving is the simplicity of the scene – just those rolling hills, that lone tree, and those horses like figures in a half-remembered myth. Notice how the light seems to be both everywhere and nowhere, washing over everything. Editor: I see that! There is no obvious light source or contrast like I was expecting. The painting’s subdued colour palette gives a cohesive, unified experience, rather than focusing the eyes in one place. Curator: Precisely. The muted colors add to that dreamy quality. It’s as though the landscape is breathing, not shouting, which makes it all the more alluring. And those horses… are they nuzzling, or in competition? Are they mirroring something about the human condition here, in your opinion? Perhaps some longing, or is it peaceful companionship in a harsh, vast environment? Lambert certainly had a penchant for embedding little visual metaphors like that. Editor: I hadn’t thought about it that way. It is difficult to tell whether those horses are sparring or being affectionate. I also hadn't picked up on the emotional undercurrent within the landscape, and I initially judged it at face value, too! Now I wonder how he intended for people to interpret the horses… thank you for sharing a different view of the scene. Curator: My pleasure! These artworks are never "finished"; they morph each time another being views it, like thoughts or emotions passing over.