Horse and Bull 1936

Cyprián Majerník made this drawing of a horse and bull, probably with ink, back in 1936. You can tell that he’s interested in speed, in getting it down quick! There’s something really great about the weight of these lines, which vary between thick and thin, and that are also kind of scratchy. You can tell that he’s drawing very fast, and that he wants to capture the essence of the animal. Look at the way the bull is drawn with these very quick lines, and how the horse is a little more detailed, but still has that same sense of urgency. It reminds me of Picasso and his drawings of bulls. There’s a certain way of drawing that seems both ancient and totally modern, it’s like he wants to capture something essential about the animal, not just how it looks, but how it moves and feels. For me, it’s always more exciting when art embraces ambiguity.