Solon H. Borglum, born Ogden, UT - Horses and Tree - n.d. - T-Shirt

A quiet pencil study of two horses drinking at a trough beneath a tall, leafy tree, rendered in soft graphite on cream paper.

Visual Elements & Composition

Parchment cream fills most of the sheet, with graphite grey carrying the shading and charcoal reserved for the darkest accents. The tree rises on the left, its trunk leaning slightly, and its crown dissolves into feathery strokes that fade toward the top edge. Below it, one horse lowers its head to the water while a second stands behind, its hindquarters turned toward the viewer. Light horizontal hatching marks the ground, and a rock or bank sits at the lower left. In the upper right corner, a small profile head and a few brief animal sketches sit apart from the main scene.

Meaning & Symbolism

The pairing of a resting animal with a tree and shaded ground belongs to the pastoral tradition, in which horses were shown in natural settings, at rest and watering. The tree gives the sheet its sense of shelter and place, and the animals stay absorbed in their drinking, so the mood is unhurried. The corner sketches show the artist testing several motifs at once, moving between the broad landscape and close studies of the animals. The drawing is by Solon Hannibal Borglum (1868 to 1922), an American sculptor born in Ogden, Utah, who trained in Paris under the animalier Emmanuel Frémiet. Horses formed the core of his sculptural work, and this landscape study shows how his observation of the animals reached beyond anatomy into the places where they lived and worked.

Why This Study Suits a Tee

A drawing this open and layered reads best at chest height, where the tree and the two horses can be taken in together at a glance. The corner sketches sit close to the edges of the composition, so they register as details the wearer discovers on a second look. The cream field and graphite line keep the artwork calm and legible on the shirt.