Horse c. 1938

James Baare Turnbull made this watercolor, Horse, most likely in the mid-20th century. I’m already wondering what this artist was thinking, why he chose to make the horse float like that. The palette is muted and earthy, all browns and creams, as the horse gallops across the paper. I can imagine the artist working in a quiet space, carefully applying each layer of pigment. I love the way Turnbull captured the horse's form. The legs are outstretched in mid-stride, conveying energy. It is a picture of a wooden toy, but something about the flat way the horse has been presented makes it feel very modern, very stylized. He’s not making a picture of a horse but an idea of one. This reminds me a little of Marsden Hartley, who also had an interest in folk art. There's something so genuine and straightforward in the way they depict their subjects. Artists are constantly looking at each other's work, even across generations, and this piece shows how one artist can be inspired by the work of another.