Solon H. Borglum, born Ogden, UT - The Plunge #2 - n.d. - T-Shirt

A single nude figure drops headfirst through the sheet in a steep diagonal, captured in a slender graphite pencil study by Solon Borglum.

Visual Elements & Composition

The drawing sits on pale cream paper, and the figure is rendered in fine, continuous graphite line. The body runs from the top of the sheet toward the lower right, with one arm stretched straight up to the upper edge and the hands pointing down and out at the bottom. Faint strokes beside the figure suggest a second, lighter version of the same pose. There is no setting or horizon, so the open ground leaves the body as the entire subject. The raised arm counterbalances the falling torso and keeps the diagonal from tipping out of the frame.

Meaning & Symbolism

The title identifies the moment as the dive itself, when the body is fully extended and committed to the fall. The elongated, angled figure communicates speed and control at once. Repeated studies of one leap let the artist test how a line can describe motion, a problem central to figurative sculpture, where a figure must suggest movement without a surrounding scene. Solon Hannibal Borglum (1868–1922) was born in Ogden, Utah, and became known for animal and figurative work, including bronzes of horses and frontier subjects. He was the brother of Gutzon Borglum, later known for Mount Rushmore. This drawing, one of a numbered series on the same theme, reflects the figure studies behind his sculpture.

Wearing the Dive

A dive reads best at a distance, and on a tee the figure travels with you as you move, so the downward diagonal crosses the chest and the raised arm points toward the shoulder. The open cream ground around the figure lets the line stand on its own, the same way it does on the sheet. Wear it as a quiet study in motion, with the drawing doing the talking.