Study for Riders 1940s

Cyprián Majerník made this Study for Riders with watercolour and ink. The whole scene is like a fleeting memory, horses and riders suggested with thin washes of brown and blue. Look at the way the ink lines dance around the forms. There’s a real sense of movement, of a process unfolding right before our eyes. It feels like Majerník is thinking through the image as he makes it, each mark a new decision. The texture of the paper peeks through, giving the piece an airy, unfinished quality, and the colours are transparent, layered in such a way that they create depth and shadow with the minimal of means. Notice how the legs of the horses are formed from broken lines, tentative strokes that capture the energy of the animals in motion. It is interesting that Majerník did other works on similar themes such as 'Motocyklisti', which embraces a similar style of portraying moving figures. 'Study for Riders' invites us to appreciate the beauty of impermanence and celebrate the journey of artmaking itself.