horse and rider, Homer Green

Artwork Overview

Homer Green, horse and rider
Homer Green, horse and rider
Homer Green
horse and rider
1990s
Homer Green
1910–2002
horse and rider, 1990s
Where object was made: United States
Material/technique: cedar wood; carving; paint; plastic
Credit line: Gift of the Thomas D. Galloway Family
Accession number: 2015.0178.a-h
Not on display
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Audio Description
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The artist is Homer Green, born 1910 in Coffee County, Tennessee, died 2002, Coffee County, Tennessee. The title of the work is horse and rider, created in the 1990s. This work is made with cedar wood, carving, paint, and plastic.
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Audio Description
Horse and rider is a large, rough-hewn, wooden sculpture of a horse and human rider standing on a low platform in the central space of the gallery. The horse is approximately seven feet long from its nose to the tip of the tail that sticks out behind it. From the horse’s feet to the top of the rider’s head is about six and a half feet. The piece is 20 inches wide. The rider is carved from one cedar trunk, which is positioned vertically. The horse’s torso, neck, and head are carved from a second cedar trunk, which is positioned perpendicular to the human figure, The horse stands on separately carved cedar-branch legs attached to the underside of the torso on its four corners. The upright rider holds its arms and legs stiffly down to its sides. The rider’s stick-like fingers point straight down, and block-like feet point straight forward. The horse’s mid-section is carved inward a bit to accommodate the rider’s legs, but otherwise the horse’s torso looks like the trunk of the tree. The horse’s neck is defined by a slight narrowing of the trunk. The horse’s legs are stiff and slightly squared. The horse’s tail is carved from a separate piece of wood. It is a paddle shape that appears to be streaming out behind the horse despite his otherwise static pose. The horse has oversized, paddle-shaped ears and a flattened face with yellow nostrils and large, plastic eyes that face forward and have movable irises, like googly eyes, and yellow-painted nostrils. The rider also has large plastic eyes, and its ears, eyebrows, nose, and chin are embellished with yellow paint. His flattened hat juts out behind his head 5 to 6 inches, but fits more closely on the front and sides. It is decorated with yellow stripes that descend from the top of the hat toward the rider’s face.
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“After I retired, I just got out there and started working with a chain saw.” —Homer Green In the early 1980s, amidst the rolling hills of Coffee County, Tennessee, Green began to create wood sculptures, first carving small objects and eventually making larger pieces using a chain saw. He produced a wide variety of animals, both real and fantastical, as well as stiffly posed human figures. At first his works were unpainted, but after he started to apply polka dots to them with house paint, this became his standard practice. Throughout his life, Green displayed his sculptures in his front yard, attracting tourists and buyers alike to his countryside home.
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Audio Description
When looking at a sculpture like this it is always a good idea to walk all around it to look at it from every angle. What can you tell about this artwork just by carefully looking at it? What kinds of choices did the artist make about how to show this horse? Use your imagination to think about where the rider might be going. About the art The artist carved this work using only a chainsaw. About the animal Horses were domesticated by humans over 5,000 years ago, and along with donkeys and zebras are the only one-toed animals on Earth!

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