Racing, Sybil Andrews

Rounding the turn of a racetrack at top speed, five horses go all out as they head for the finish line. One pulls away from the pack, while the other four run neck-and-neck in pursuit. At first, the five horses appear to be no more than streaks of color surging across the page in a rhythmic pattern. But then we see the ears, the manes, the legs in front, and the tails behind. With heads, necks, and bodies smoothed into streamlined shapes, these horses seem to be running like the wind. Five jockeys drive the five horses forward. Standing in the stirrups on bent knee, each jockey thrusts himself upward and forward to get his weight off the horse’s back, allowing him to gallop at maximum speed. Their shirts appear elastic, extending from waist to shoulder to outstretched arm, and then connecting seamlessly with the reins so that horse and rider become a unified force focused on speed and winning. Around the track they go, flying past each post of the outer fence and inside rail that mark the boundaries of the track. Nearly every line of the rail, track, and green turf is curved, pulling the horses and jockeys around the turn and propelling them out of the picture and down the stretch. For artist Sybil Andrews, the pace was much slower. With great precision and care, she cut four separate linoleum blocks, one for each color of ink, then printed them on a piece of paper, one block at a time. Unlike her speeding horses, she took all the time she needed to make sure that each color was positioned exactly right. Challenge for Students Make a picture that shows how it feels to move fast, whether riding a bike, swimming, running, dancing, skating, or some other sport.