Man Pulling a Horse into a Stall 1918

John Singer Sargent made this drawing, Man Pulling a Horse into a Stall, with graphite on paper. You can see the immediacy of the line, the artist sketching swiftly to capture the scene. I'm thinking about the conversation between the man and the horse, that silent dialogue of wills. The soft graphite seems perfect for this quiet moment, full of tension. I wonder if Sargent was thinking about Degas' horses, those sculptures frozen in mid-stride? Maybe, maybe not. But artists, we're always looking, absorbing, responding. The blank space around the figures is so important, too, giving us room to breathe, to imagine the sounds and smells of the stable. The horse's bum is so solid and the line drawing fades in places - it makes the subject feel alive. I am so grateful for the horse’s bum! Drawing is like thinking out loud, a way of feeling through the world. It's not about perfection, it's about the energy of the mark, the honesty of the gaze.