Solon H. Borglum, born Ogden, UT - Horse's Head - n.d. - T-Shirt

A quick charcoal study of a horse's head in profile, worked in dark line against a deep maroon sheet and lifted by a few pale highlights.

Visual Elements & Composition

The figure turns to the left and fills the upper part of the sheet. The head is built from loose, dark strokes: a single eye, the curve of the muzzle, and one long, tapering line running back along the neck. A few quick vertical hatchings above the head suggest the mane. Maroon dominates the composition, with much of the paper left open. Pale, scratchy highlights across the upper left corner are the only light in an otherwise shadowed image.

Meaning & Symbolism

This is a working record rather than a finished picture. The artist returns to the same subject repeatedly, testing the angle of the head, the set of the ears and the rhythm of the mane. The economy of the marks shows an eye fixed on the essential silhouette of the animal, not its surface detail. Solon Hannibal Borglum (1868 to 1922), born in Ogden, Utah, became known for animal subjects, particularly horses. He trained in Paris under the animalier Emmanuel Frémiet, and his work emphasised muscular movement and the character of the animal. Sketches like this one supported his sculptural practice, fixing the structure of a horse before it was modelled in clay or cast in bronze.

Built for a Study in Line

Printed on a tee, the drawing sits at chest height where it is seen up close and at a glance, the way a sketchbook page is read. The open maroon field and sparse marks carry across the front of the shirt, so the horse's profile stays clear as you move. Wearing it puts a working study of a sculptor's preparatory practice in view wherever you go.