Sketch of Man on Horseback, with Separate Sketch of his Right Foot n.d.

Editor: Here we have "Sketch of Man on Horseback, with Separate Sketch of his Right Foot," by Pierre Lenfant. It's rendered in pencil and chalk on paper. The man’s pose seems somewhat precarious, doesn’t it? Like he's about to lose his balance. What’s your take? Curator: Precarious indeed! The ephemeral quality of the chalk and pencil lend themselves beautifully to this sense of fleeting movement, of a moment caught in time before it disappears. I find it curious that Lenfant gives us the rider before the horse. It's as if he is considering the weight, the posture, the very essence of horsemanship. Notice, too, the isolated foot. What’s that about, I wonder? Perhaps a musing on the foundation, the support upon which everything else rests, literally and figuratively. Don’t you think? Editor: That's a cool thought about the foot as the foundation! I hadn’t considered it that way. And now that you mention it, focusing on the rider first does create an anticipation...we want to know where he's going! Curator: Exactly! It is, I think, an invitation to consider the dynamic interplay between anticipation and grounding, between the ethereal sketch and the concrete detail. Think of it as a poem, not quite finished but hinting at a grander narrative. I mean, what kind of horse *should* this guy be on? Is it some glorious steed, or something kind of comical and ill-tempered? Editor: I like that-- a poem! I was so caught up in the lack of horse that I completely missed the larger invitation. Thank you for pointing that out, it definitely changes how I see this work. Curator: My pleasure! Sometimes, the missing elements speak volumes, urging us to fill in the blanks with our own imaginings and emotions. Which is what art is supposed to do, right?