“ . . . he had some horses brought and showed them their pictures one by one; and the horses only began to neigh when they saw the horse painted by Apelles; and this always happened subsequently, showing it to be a sound test of artistic skill.”
—Pliny, Natural History, 35.6
Finished with the opinions of men, I appeal
to the horses. Who says a neigh
does not an affirmation make?
In the circles we run in
real evidence is at hand, and the eyes
have it. The paint rests
its case in the main
on a social calling: a horse
must believe there is another horse.
If so, a sound will sound. Pliny assumes
that what happens now
will happen forever, however
I tell you that not all horses
are created equal. Every
now and then, a horse before
a painting of mine
paws the ground a little. I see
myself in the animal’s eyes
and pray silently
for the sake of the history
of genius. The image stands
against itself. Sometimes
a horse has to be led
away. It takes skill to make this decision.
