Horse Weather Vane c. 1937

Editor: So, this is Chris Makrenos's "Horse Weather Vane" from around 1937, rendered in watercolor. There's something about the way the horse is so still, almost stoic, that gives it a quiet, watchful quality. It feels less like a real horse and more like an idea of a horse, a symbol. What do you see in it? Curator: Oh, I feel that stillness too! And symbols... they are mirrors, aren't they? The horse, for me, is such a complicated creature, romantic in its freedom but then yoked and worked. What is *this* horse feeling, caught in paint, not quite metal, but about to direct the wind? The geometric shapes, almost hidden in the musculature of the beast, point toward an artist interested in a sort of subdued Cubism. Don't you think? Editor: I see what you mean. I hadn’t really noticed the subtle geometric forms until you mentioned it, but now it’s so obvious! It's almost like he’s simplified the form to its essence. It definitely feels less like a portrait and more like a… like a distilled ideal. Curator: Precisely! A memory perhaps, or a longing. It has the feeling of realism, yes, but also floats a bit above the world. Is this about real weather? Or interior weather? The horse, a steadfast guide pointing the way. What direction is my own true north? A horse vane whispers. What does yours say? Editor: I guess for me, seeing it now, it is that intersection between observation and idealization. Between reality and symbol, because, at first, it seemed like it was merely decorative, but the more we’ve spoken the more its symbolism has blossomed! Curator: Isn’t it gorgeous when a piece opens up to us? When it gallops right out of its frame.