Simón Bolívar
on Horseback
(Charcoal Drawing)

“The energy of a free people always overcomes the inertia of tyranny. The path to freedom is forged through action.”

Unlike official state portraits, this imposing charcoal drawing strips the Liberator of color to focus on the sheer force of his will. Here we see the strategist in his element: constant motion. Simón Bolívar was not a desk-bound leader; he was a continental warrior who participated in the struggle for independence at every stage and across multiple regions. This work captures the essence of that far-reaching strategic shift that, in mid-1819, indiscriminately united the resources and men of Venezuela and New Granada to march toward the very heart of the New Kingdom. With his sword raised high and clad in the garments of the land that welcomed him, this equestrian Bolívar represents the unstoppable momentum that culminated at Boyacá; a reminder of a man who, before being sculpted in bronze, was flesh, dust, trail, and living thought.