Untitled (Merry-Go-Round) 1941

This unnamed drawing of a merry-go-round was made by William U. Bauer, we don't know exactly when, but it's likely charcoal or graphite on paper. Look at how Bauer builds up the form with these tiny, almost frantic, marks. It's like he's trying to capture not just the image of the carousel, but the dizzying feeling of being on it. The texture of the paper comes through, giving everything a slightly rough, unfinished quality. I am really drawn to the horse at the front, the way it’s shaded so darkly, almost looming out of the picture. There is an energy there, like it is leaping off the page, this relates so well to the feeling of movement when you’re going round and round. It reminds me a bit of Käthe Kollwitz's drawings, in the way it uses a limited palette to convey so much emotion. And like Kollwitz, Bauer isn't trying to give us a perfect representation, but something much more personal and strange. It is this ambiguity that keeps me looking.