Odin and Sleipnir 1911

John Bauer's Odin and Sleipnir is made with graphic precision that is reminiscent of printmaking. I wonder how the artist felt making this image? The contrast between light and dark is very strong. The lower half of the image is a dark void, almost like a doorway into the underworld. You can barely make out the figure, trapped below. It has this sense of being caught in some kind of nightmare. I imagine the artist conjuring the underworld, the fear of being trapped. The rider above seems to be escaping that dark place. His long spear reminds me of all the history paintings I have seen. The horse, Sleipnir, looks like a wave with its long white mane, the clouds mimic the horse. Bauer seemed to be in a conversation with history. The image, and the way he’s made it, sits somewhere between illustration and something darker, more personal, and more psychological.