Equestrian Paintings and Drawings; Horse Racing and The Horse in Art
69
A 50m high white horse proposed for Ebbsfleet. Yes! 50m!
The horse has been man's friend, companion, transport, and helper since time immemorial, so it should come as no surprise that our cave-man ancestors chose to depict this wonderful animal in early cave drawings. Throughout the ages we have drawn, painted and sculpted our equestrian friends. They feature as giant chalk creatures mapped out on the hills of Sussex and Kent. They have been cast in bronze, and carved in marble. And now sculptor Mark Wallinger has won a commission to create a 50m high white horse at Ebbsfleet in Kent!
His proposal is that this giant, landmark white horse – twice the height of the Angel of the North – should stand proudly in Ebbsfleet valley, gazing out over the hills and green fields. It's a bold concept, and will certainly put Ebbsfleet on the map, but surely in these cash-conscious times, £2million could be better spent elsewhere? But then who am I to quibble? Art is an integral part of civilisation, and in the greater scheme of things perhaps £2million is just a drop in the ocean.
Some famous equestrian artists
Mark Wallinger is not the first artist to fall in love with the equine form, and he certainly won't be the last. Some of the world's greatest artists have dedicated their lives to capturing the horse on canvas, and I have listed some of the more well-known below with links to sites where you can learn more about them:
- Sir Alfred Munnings, former President of the British Royal Academy of Art, painted little else, and his horse-racing paintings are classic images, as a visit to his former home, Castle House in Essex, will confirm.
- Lucy Kemp-Welch (1869-1958), the artist who illustrated the original edition of Anna Sewell's classic novel, Black Beauty, became the first president of the Society of Animal Painters. She also dedicated her life to painting horses, and her work can be seen in many museums and collections.
- George Stubbs (1724-1806) was a British artist, perhaps best known for his portrait of Whistlejacket (see header painting at the top of this hub.) He was much in demand by wealthy patrons keen to have their horses captured for posterity
- Rosa Bonheur (1822-1899) was a French artist famed for her ability to paint vast canvasses of animals in general, and horses in particular. Her work can be found in the Musee D'Orsay in Paris, the National Gallery in London, and the Metropolitan Museum in New York
- Frederic Remington (1861-1909) was an American, famous for his atmospheric paintings and sculptures of the men and horses of the Wild West.
- Theodore Gericault (1791-1824) Born in France, Gericault is best known for his painting, 'The Raft of the Medusa,' a major historical, figurative work, although he was actually a very gifted portrayer of horses, and many of his works in Museums and galleries are of equestrian subjects.
Since the advent of the combustion engine, horses are bred for more recreational purposes than in former years. Horses have played a big part in our history, but they continue to have a role in modern society and will always be loved and admired by artists, race-goers, leisure riders, Canadian Mounties, and animal-lovers alike!
One of the earliest known equestrian paintings
The Alexander Mosaic from the Museo Archaelogico in Naples
Roman Sea-Horse, a detail from a Roman Mosaic in the Roman Baths at Bath, England
12th Century Song dynasty hand-scroll painting by Li Gonglin
The Uffington White Horse is etched in chalk on a hill-side in Oxfordshire, England
Giovanni di Piero de Medici on horseback. A detail from a fresco by Benozzo Gozzoli
Study of a horse by Leonardo Da Vinci
The race horse, Eclipse, with his groom at Newmarket
Napoleon Crossing the Alps by Jacques-Louis David 1800
Race Horses in a Landscape by Edgar Degas 1894
'Jockeys before the Start' by Edgar Degas
Ride For Liberty - The fugitive Slaves by Eastman Johnson
The Three Bogatyrs by Viktor Vasnetsov
Tram Horses on Dam Square by George Hendrik Breitner
The Scout - 'Friends or Foes?' by Frederic Sackrider Remington
Relay Hunting by Rosa Bonheur 1887
The Horse Mart, a lithograph by Robert Bevan
Horse sleigh in Estonia by Gregor von Bochmann
More fantastic horse paintings
Artists from around the world create a giant mural of a horse
PrintShare it! — Rate it: up down flag this hub
Comments
Thanks Brian. It was a lot of fun putting it together.
What a beautiful hub! I've been horse crazy for as long as I can remember, but some of these images and artists are still new to me.
Thanks Kerry. I love horses too, and they make a great subject to paint.
Very pretty, Amanda, I especially like the mosaic --and there are plenty of fabulous mosaics with horses!
Thank you for sharing these beautiful images of this wonderous, clever and special animal. xx
Thanks Elena, The mosaic is sweet. Where have you seen other mosaics with horses? The Roman mosaics in Britain tend to be quite stylized and mostly geometric, and the only mosaic that I've seen with a regular horse in it would be the Nile Mosaic at Palestrina. Being in Europe, you probably know where some of them are?
Hi Catherina.
Thanks for stopping by. Horses are wonderful, aren't they?
Let me try and fetch images from the web, Amanda -- there are some well preserved ones in Turkey, Tunisia and Syria, and also some in Rome and Athens in museums. Some of these have horses, maybe I find something in the web :-)
Amanda - that was a treat! I love the Degas ones especially! You pick the best and put them together so well - thanks for a wonderful hub!
Thanks Elena. I'd forgotten about the Roman influence further east. The problem with our Roman remains, is that being a tiny and crowded island, we tend to build on top of them!
Hi Shalini,
I love the Degas ones too. I'm a sucker for his pastels, and I love his informal compositions. I imagine he may have used photography as an inspiration for some of his work.
You Brits, you! Laugh! Here are some images:
- Roman Villa bath: http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/armerina/chario
- Rome, too, but don't know exact location (this is more on the chariot than the horse, but still): http://www.sattlerlatin.com/pic17.html
- Jackpot in Flickr :) There are plenty, here's a Bizantine one: http://www.flickr.com/photos/44124324682@N01/27687
Two more and I've done my duty :-)
http://www.sitesandphotos.com/catalog/actions-show
http://www.sitesandphotos.com/catalog/actions-show
Elena,
Thank you so much for all your efforts. (Mucho gracias Chica!) I like the Byzantine mosaic on Flickr. What was going on in that picture? It looked like a very early example of road rage, with bodies being trampled under the horses hooves! The second sitesandphotos image is great too, but in a different way. Very fluid lines, and great feeling of movement.
Nicely done, Amanda! I share your affinity for horses and I agree that you've chosen a wonderful sampling of artwork to capture their grace and beauty. I think the Gozzoli one is my favorite.
I remember choosing horses as my animal of choice for a project in elementary school, and then a few years later I discovered that I was born in the year of the horse! I don't know much about Chinese astrology, but that doesn't keep me from taking great comfort in my cosmic association with such a noble creature. :)
Lovely! Thank you! :)
Thanks Melissa. I don't know too much about Chinese Astrology either, but I do know that my own sign is a little less glamorous than yours, as I'm actually a pig! The Gozzoli is a good choice. The level of detail in 15thcentury art is often astonishing, and the fact that it was painted as a fresco has helped to keep those colours jewel bright.
Thanks for stopping by Justmesuzanne.
Personally, I think pigs are lovely creatures. :) I did a little research on your Chinese Astrological sign, and I think it's actually quite fitting: Contrary to its rather negative reputation in the West, the Pig of Chinese Astrology may be the most generous and honorable Sign of the Zodiac. Pigs are nice to a fault and possess impeccable manners and taste. They have so much of the perfectionist in them that others may be inclined to perceive them as snobs, but this is a misconception. Pigs are simply possessed of a truly luxurious nature, one that delights in finery and riches (in surroundings, food, lovemaking and otherwise). This Sign believes in the best qualities of mankind and certainly doesn't consider itself to be superior. Pigs also care a great deal about friends and family and work hard to keep everyone in their life happy. Helping others is a true pleasure for the Pig, who feels best when everyone else is smiling (from http://chinese.astrology.com).
I tend to like either very detailed or very abstract art, which might be why I gravitated toward the Gozzoli. I especially like how the horse seems to be gazing out of the canvas, with such an intelligent and soulful expression.
Thank you Melissa! You make being a pig sound great! I hope your reading as a horse is equally pleasing. I have to agree that pigs can be quite endearing, and I particularly like little ginger Tamworths, particularly when they're piglets.
And yes you're right, that horse does have a knowing look about him!
what a wonderful collection!
I've emailed this to both my sisters, as they are horse nuts and will love it. Must have taken you ages to put together.
Hi LG
I hope your sisters enjoy the pictures. They did take a while to find, but I enjoyed searching them out. Thanks for stopping by.
Wow Amanda this is a great art collection. Horses deserve to be in high art as they are one of the noblest creatures to work this earth with man. And based on the more ancient art pieces, it is evident that they are indeed special to man since time immemorial. Thanks for sharing! :D
There are some great images of horses in art, Cris, and as you say, the ancient art pieces give a clue to how important horses have always been to man throughout the milennia. As an art buff yourself, what do you think about the Ebbsfleet White Horse that I wrote about at the start of the hub?
Well geez, I guess that kind of art will have to be more like arhictecture in a sense that it will have both aesthetics and function although not necessarily utilitarian in nature - but it will obviously help tourism in that place. And I think that art being incidentally artistic (as in i will paint and not think of art but ending up with a piece of art) is long gone specially when it involves that big amount of money - it has to serve a purpose. Did I make sense? LOL
I think so. Kind of. Something this monumental is more akin to the Mount Rushmore monument, or the Eiffel Tower, or even our British Angel of the North. You need to be thinking right outside the box to come up with a concept so grand. I can't wait to see it in the flesh.
yes, it definitely would be a magical sight like only white horses can be! I wonder how it will be posed...
There's a small photo mock-up on this site with more info:
http://www.kentnews.co.uk/kent-news/White-horse-wi
And I think there's also a similar image at the end of the Youtube clip. It's a big project, and as you say Cris, more architectural than sculptural in a way.
Beautifully put together, Amanda! A real joy to experience.
Did you know that Remington, despite his prolific output of both sculpture and painting, created only one large-scale, bronze? It is the magnificent cowboy on a shieing horse, displayed on a rocky crag overlooking Philadelphia's Fairmount Park. I was always intrigued by this detail of his works and thought I'd share, especially as I thought about it in contrast to what's going on in Kent. I must admit that the proposed sculpture looks a little lackluster, considering other artists' spirited and energetic renderings. On the other hand, it's apparently already generated a lot of publicity, which is what Ebbsfleet is after. If the goal of spending all that money is to drive tourists to Ebbsfleet, then I say it's a good investment, no matter what it looks like. But until it's built, I won't know whether to call it art or mere sensationalism.
Thanks for the link to Kent News...it was most informative. You can see the Remington sculpture here:
http://www.sportsantiques.com/2007NATIONAL/PhillyT
Quite a contrast!
Hi Sally,
Thanks for the link and the info. about Remington. I think he's a wonderful artist, but I have to confess that I know less about the man and his work than I do about many of our European artists. Perhaps that's something for me to research! The sculpture is very impressive and full of action, as you would expect from Remington. It's certainly a far cry from the Ebbsfleet sculpture which has more of a pastoral feel about it. There seems to be quite a movement towards this very static style of monumental sculpture in Britain at present. Have you seen anything about the Angel of The North, which is also huge and very striking?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_of_the_North
Amanda, I did not know about the Angel of the North until I read your Hub and followed your link. You say that there's a static style of monumental sculpture in Britain at present, and I wonder what that means?
As far as the Angel goes, I see it, at this moment, as dynamic, progressive, and metaphorical (with my little knowledge about the sculpture and its background..which I will look into, thanks to your Hub). It says a lot more to me than the white horse does.
Guess the jury's out for now, with verdict to be determined in the future.
As for American artists, I spent my college and post-grad years learning about European artists and the influences they had on Americans. It was only much later in my life that I began to appreciate American artists as a genre, a happening, unto themselves.
Again, thanks for an awesome Hub.
Hi Sally,
I guess my I could have expressed that better, couldn't I? By static, I meant posed, and still, rather than suggesting movement as in the Remington sculpture. Another Anthony Gormley that you might enjoy is at this link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/liverpool/content/articles/20
and again, this seems to be about stillness, contemplation and waiting.
I feel as though we're on the edge of great change globally, and that some of the large works of art currently appearing here in the UK represent that sense of stillness before a storm. But maybe that's just me!
Thank you for the Gormley link. I'm afraid this art event, happening, installation, is depressing the hell out of me. Because of the representation of people who are being swallowed up into the tides, and because the real live people looking at this installation are wondering where all these casts are going.
But here's the good news. The installation does what it's supposed to do...elicit a reaction. The idea that these sculptures are acupuncture on the skin of the earth is mind boggling. So, the surface of the earth is the skin which has paths to the heart, to the essence, to the spirit, of the earth. And yet, all is somber, contemplative, longing...well, I think I could go on and on about this, but only under a dark cloud.
The white horse touches me in no similar way.
I understand now your comment about "static". And I thank you for your elaboration. I wonder what awaits, looking into the horizon. Shades of Stephen King here. What is coming through the mist?
Thank you so much for this extra added link and for bringing forth your description of "static".
Thanks Sally, for your thoughts. I'm sorry that you found the Gormley sculptures depressing, although I can see what you mean by that. My take on them is that they are watchers waiting on the shore, and, as I live on the coast myself, I find the movements of the tides familiar and timeless, an integral part of the experience.
I'm fascinated by the scope of some of these huge works, and even how they get funding! I know a number of working artists, and many of them are obliged to work at other jobs as well just to make a living. It's just a different league I guess.
Oh, Amanda, don't be sorry. I've cultivated my depressing experiences into art forms, seriously. There's as much to be learned from black as there is from white, as much from sorrow as from joy, as much from plunging as soaring. Each extreme brings insights that could be gained in no other way.
Truth be told, I'm a little more interested in the engineering aspects of the installation than I am in the artistic. I'm fascinated about the scope, as you are. Imagine having the means and knowledge to create 100 iron casts of your own body, anchored into the earth as decorative heads of acupuncture pins that challenge the saying, "time and tide wait for no man". If I had a little more time these days, I'd go investigating the engineering design and construction processes behind the work.
Again, thanks for sharing!
Wow! Great illustrations - wide selection of ages and schools of painting. Made me think that I'd love to see an exhibition of horse paintings. (BTW - last year the Barber Institute in Birmingham had an exhibition called 'Parrots in Art')
Hi 2patricias
If you've a mind to see an exhibition of horse paintings my personal favourite is Castle House at Dedham on the Essex/Suffolk border. It was the home of Sir Alfred Munnings and makes a perfect backdrop for his paintings. I did once go to a Stubbs exhibition in London, but although Whistlejacket is one of my all-time favourites, a whole room full of Stubbs was more than even I could take!
Parrots in Art must have been a fine sight! They must have had to cast their nets far and wide for that one!
No mention of the great horse paintings, Fox Hunt? It is the 19c. London engraving over my home desk! I know... boring, huh.
Hi Newsworthy,
Do you know the painter of Fox Hunt by any chance? If we could track it down, I could possibly include it here?
From my understanding Amanda, the original title 'The Fox Hunt' was painted by Winslow Homer in 1893. On the contrary, the painting of starving crows hovering over a fox in the snow isnt really about horses.
Sorry,I should have written Fox Hunt(ing) as shown in these plated engravings
http://www.goantiques.com/scripts/images,id,763496
English fox hunting made terrific equestrain art. Although most of these old horse works are SOLD, they are fun to look at: http://www.printsoldandrare.com/foxhunting/
Jus thought Id share while I enjoyed this hub thoroughly. :)
Thanks for the links. There are some great paintings of fox hunts around. Fox hunting is more about the spectacle and the occassion than it is about the poor old fox. You might know that hunting a fox with hounds was legally out-lawed in the UK a couple of years ago, but many of the hunts still meet, and they are worth seeing, in their fine red jackets on a crisp winter's morning.
Great. I must ask my sister to start a hub page for drawings. Maybe you two can be great friends.
Hi online-business,
It's great to share our art with like-minded people. I look forward to seeing your sister's work!
I have some horse art that I will email to you if I can locate it in my computer. Love the powerful animal and you did this hub justice. Thanks for sharing.
I found it on the Internet. http://behindthebit.blogspot.com/2008/04/driftwood Hope you enjoy this artwork as much as I do. This artwork is something special, takes these women a lot of driftwood to produce this kind of work.
Hi C.S. Alexis,
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. I just checked out the link you posted, and the work is really unusual and stunning. It takes great skill and vision to assemble a work of art out of random pieces of driftwood. The artist has certainly done the subject justice.
Nice painting. I like painting also, but in egg. thanks for great picture
Thanks for stopping by, Prasetio. I've never painted with egg tempera, but I've seen some really good work done in that medium.
What is the name of the first picture, the horse that looks like he is almost jumping and is looking at you. It looks like a painting I saw in London and always wished I could get a print of. I want a tatoo of that painting/picture!
Hi Meghan, the painting is called Whistlejacket and it's by George Stubbs. I'm sure it would make an amazing tattoo!
Buy your own great horse art on Ebay!
|
Colt Horse Animal Nature Wildlife Farm Art Print Poster
Current Bid: $.01
|
|
Horse Racing Oils Art Equine Jockeys Kentucky Derby NEW
Current Bid: $5000.00
|
|
4 Art Prints ~ English Hunting Dogs & Horses Wall Décor
Current Bid: $14.99
|
|
Excellent art Oil painting animal running horses 24x36"
Current Bid: $.99
|
|
2 Horse/Appaloosa Art Prints Country Ranch Home Decor
Current Bid: $5.99
|
|
Riding Double Horse Girl Robert Duncan Framed Print Art
Price: $42.95
|
|
Melissa & Doug Horse Stable Stamp Set
Price: $5.99
List Price: $9.99 |
|
The Horse: 30,000 Years of the Horse in Art
Price: $16.47
List Price: $24.95 |
|
Horse Pony Barn Wallpaper Border Wall Art Mural
Price: $29.70
List Price: $49.99 |
BrianS says:
10 months ago
Fabulous paintings and artwork to go with this very informative hub, another nice piece of work Amanda. Thumbs up from me.