A melancholy feeling surrounds the two central figures in this sketch. The caption in the lower right identifies them as “lovers,” but their body language seems to refute that label. The man sits on the bed with his head turned towards the woman who is seated across from him, her eyes staring obstinately away, emphasizing their physical distance. This piece, sketched on the back of an exhibition card, shows Mahonri Young’s prowess in capturing a quick scene that is charged with feeling despite the lack of detail. The identity of the sitters remains indeterminate: Are they friends, siblings, strangers, or, as the title suggests, lovers?
Drawn loosely, the man sits away from the viewer on a bed to the left, with his weight resting on his right hand. The woman sits on an unseen structure with her knees drawn defensively towards her chest and her head in her right hand; her expression is one of boredom or dissatisfaction. Above the woman’s head is a study for a different head turned away from the viewer, perhaps an earlier attempt at one of these two figures or potentially a third figure that was left unfinished.
Young is best known today for his sculpture, including the Seagull Monument and This Is the Place Monument, but he was skilled in many mediums, including etching, painting, and drawing. Across these media he pursued a wide range of subjects including portraiture, genre scenes, and landscapes. The MOA is home to the largest collection of Mahonri’s work, including numerous sketchbooks filled with drawings in various states of finish. Some of these sketches were reworked into paintings and sculptures where their meanings were clarified, while others like this one remain much more ambiguous. We may not know the relationship between the man and woman, but in this season of love, Lovers reminds us that love comes with its joys and its challenges, and inside the space between the couples lies the potential for reconciliation.
