Horse Tail Dance 1946

Ira Moskowitz made this image 'Horse Tail Dance' at some point in the 20th century using printmaking techniques. I love to imagine him drawing with a sharp tool, scratching and hatching lines, building up tone and texture to capture the energy of the dance, the texture of the costumes. You can almost feel the heat from that central fire. I wonder what Moskowitz might have been thinking about as he made this? The dancers have a strong and raw presence with the dark, expressive lines he’s made. It makes me think of the bold gestural strokes of someone like Franz Kline. But here, instead of pure abstraction, we have figures in motion, caught in a ritual. Even though it is rendered in monochrome, it evokes a feeling of rhythm. Artists are always in conversation, aren’t they? Reaching back, borrowing, transforming. It's this collective, ongoing energy that keeps art alive.