Solon H. Borglum, born Ogden, UT - The Plunge #10 - n.d. - T-Shirt

A faint pencil study shows a nude figure bending forward at the edge of the water, its hair falling in wet strands toward the surface.

Visual Elements & Composition

The drawing is made in pale graphite grey and dark pencil line on cream paper, and the paper dominates the sheet. The figure occupies the upper right, with its arms reaching down toward the lower left. A few contour lines and light touches of tone define the back and hip, while loose strands of hair trail down the left side of the figure. Along the lower edge, the body dissolves into faint wavy marks that describe the water. The rest of the sheet is left blank, so the figure reads as a single gesture held in open space.

Meaning & Symbolism

The title The Plunge places the figure at the instant of entering the water, the body tipping toward the surface just before or after the dive. The broken line at the water's edge and the heavy, hanging hair carry the damp movement of the body. The number ten marks this sheet as one of a numbered series on the same theme. Studies like this let an artist work through one subject in many variations, shifting the angle of the body and its relation to the water. Solon Hannibal Borglum (1868-1922), born in Ogden, Utah, became known for animal and figurative sculpture, including bronzes of horses and frontier subjects. He was the brother of Gutzon Borglum, later known for Mount Rushmore, and this figure work fed directly into his sculpture.

On the Unisex Heavy Cotton Tee

A tee carries a drawing across the chest and back, so the figure becomes part of the body it covers. The sheet's open paper turns into open space around the figure, and the forward bend of the torso follows the shape of the wearer's own upper body. The falling hair and wavy water line sit close to the eye, so the pencil marks read as they were drawn: quick, light, and in motion.