Horseman

Paul Brach

Many of the post-war artists, often older students studying on the G.I. Bill, were inspired by the cooperative, experimental nature and surrealist overtones of Hayter's Atelier 17 and Lasansky's printmaking program at the University of Iowa. In a search for answers to their experiences and nightmares they sometimes delved into mythology, poetry, literature, and psychoanalysis. A number of the resulting images were the struggle between man and beast, such as this image where a nude figure sits astride a horse that appears to be trying to throw him. Who's in charge here?

This print features the artist's inked handprint on the verso, a forensic signature, a common sight found on the works of Lasansky's students and the effect of his particular way of "flipping" the prints. It is dedicated to fellow student at Iowa California Abstract Expressionist Richard Bowman. In the dedication, "Mimi" refers to Miriam Schapiro, a celebrated artist in her own right and Brach's wife from 1949 until his death in 2007.