Carousel Horse c. 1938

Albert Ryder's "Carousel Horse", made sometime in the twentieth century, possibly as a design for a larger sculpture, feels very tender and intimate. Ryder coaxes form out of a restrained palette – mainly greys, reds, and browns – with delicate cross-hatching to denote the subtle gradations of tone. It’s interesting to think about how this drawing was a design for something so joyous and extroverted. You can see the wood grain of the carousel horse in the artist’s lines. There is something very considered about the way Ryder depicts the shadow cast by the horse's front left leg, carefully modeling its form to give a three-dimensional quality, and grounding the figure in space. It's a reminder that even drawings for a fun, fairground attraction can be so full of serious attention and considered thought. Ryder’s practice is very similar to that of Forrest Bess, another visionary artist who made intricate works as a way of understanding his place in the world.