Reiterstandbild des Markgrafen Karl Wilhelm zu Baden 1909

Fritz Boehle made this drawing of Markgraf Karl Wilhelm on horseback, rendered in pencil. You can see the horse rearing up, a classical pose, yet the sketch itself feels very modern. I imagine Boehle trying to get the horse just right, those front legs are hard to draw! You know when you're drawing and keep going over the same line again and again, trying to get it right? I see a lot of that here in the horse's legs, and its rump. I wonder if he was looking at another equestrian statue, or referencing an earlier drawing? You can almost feel the weight of the rider's armour, but the drawing isn't stiff at all. It's got a looseness, an energy. The light grey tone of the pencil creates this atmospheric effect. It is as though the subject is emerging from a mist. Artists are always looking at each other’s work, inspiring each other. This drawing, though a study of an old-fashioned statue, feels fresh and alive, like a conversation across time.