Horses

Horses appear frequently in Young’s paintings and in various settings: clustered together in herds; in battle scenes with warriors on their backs; in cityscapes stacked amongst buildings; roaming free through landscapes. When asked about his own encounters with horses, Young mentioned observing Overtown’s mounted police officers, but these were never represented in his work. Instead, he preferred the wild mustangs conjured in the images of early North America. “The horses to me, represent freedom...I like them to run wild.” Nor did racehorses interest him: “I like wild horses, I don’t like no horses with racehorse guys. What the Spaniards brought, that’s what I like. I ain’t interested in no damn horse that cost a million dollars.” Young would construct dense compositions with horses, often rotating the painted surface and rendering herds on multiple horizons.

All works Untitled and ca. 1980-1999