Carousel Horse c. 1938

Henry Murphy made this Carousel Horse out of watercolor and graphite on paper. Doesn't it make you wonder about the way the image came into being? The muted palette and the way the horse appears mid-motion - there’s a sense of emergence. I can imagine Murphy’s process: shifting, intuiting. The details, like the horse's mane and the texture of the saddle, give a kind of emotional depth. What was Murphy thinking when he made it? It looks like he responded to the play of light, emphasizing texture and form. I mean, look at how thin the paint is! It feels like a direct conduit to the artist's hand. Murphy, and so many artists like him, invite us to see the world through their eyes, one gesture at a time. There’s no single meaning, just a continuous exchange of ideas.