Amazon 1917

Zygmunt Waliszewski's drawing "Amazon" is made with a thin line on a warm tan paper, it’s all about the gesture, the pure essence of a figure on horseback. The line isn't trying to trick you into thinking it's real; it’s more like a doodle that’s come to life. Look at how the line wobbles and thickens, it’s playful, like he is making it up as he goes. The horse’s legs are these squiggly marks, not really trying to be legs at all, but somehow they work! It reminds me of those drawings you do without lifting your pen from the paper, and the way the line loops around to suggest shape. Waliszewski was part of this whole scene of artists playing with form and color, folks like Matisse come to mind. He isn't trying to capture reality; instead, he's inventing his own visual language. Art, for him, wasn't about answers, but about the joy of asking questions.