Horse Art & Photography -- In Honor of the Kentucky Derby

The Kentucky Derby is May 1, followed by Preakness on May 15, and Belmont on June 5. Let's explore painters and photographers who use horses and jockeys as their subjects. You can view my Animal Art & Wildlife Photography post to see some of the artists and photographers that I blogged about last year in May 2020. Perhaps I am starting to repeat myself. This time, I will try to include other works to keep the topic interesting.

Edgar Degas

Jockeys in the Rain (1886), Edgar Degas

Besides painting ballet dancers, Edgar Degas also painted jockeys and their horses. His brushstrokes in the foreground, the streaky sky, and even his treatment of the horses really give you the sense that it is raining. It's a simple composition using vanishing linear perspective.

Apparently, he spent dozens of years perfecting some of his pastel versions.

Blue Lock the Queen (1916), N.C. Wyeth

N.C. Wyeth

One of the artists we've studied in my elementary school art docent classes is American Illustrator, N. C. Wyeth. His Blue Lock the Queen illustration is perfect for teaching about the concept of movement in art. It was published in Colliers Magazine on 21 October 1916 along with a wonderful story about a white mare. I love the use of color and shadowing. Although it is an oil painting, its softness reminds me of a watercolor painting.

From Blue Lock (1916)

This one with the buffalo running alongside Blue Lock is another of Wyeth's amazing horse illustrations. If you like to read adventure books, there are many that have illustrations produced by Wyeth.

Contemporary Artists

Derby Day Paddock (1997),
Leroy Neiman

American sports artist, Leroy Neiman (1921-2012) created artwork for a poster in 1997 celebrating the 123rd Kentucky Derby. I love how he uses colored shapes and silhouettes to compose his expressionistic compositions. His figures are reminiscent of those of German Expressionist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880-1938) who was famous for his Berlin Street Scene series painted from 1913-15. Although Kirchner's fancy hats emulated those worn by women and men at horse races, his subjects were prostitutes and their clients.

Check out these six contemporary artists in my Art of the Pacific Northwest -- The Art of Helena, Montana post: Sculptors Bill and Julie Ryder, Painters Charles Marion Russell, Edward Charles Abbott, Meagan Abra Blessing, Robert F. Morgan, and J.K. Ralston.

Also, check out The Tradition of Horse Paintings in Art.

Early Horse Painters

Whistlejacket (1762), George Stubbs
Courtesy of the National Gallery of London

After spending a year and a half dissecting horse carcasses, George Stubbs became famous as “the horse painter”, producing many anatomical drawings of the animals. I can't recall whether I saw this splendid specimen in person on our trip to the UK in 2017.

Francis Dukinfield Astley and his Harriers (1809),
by Benjamin Marshall

19th Century artists, such as Benjamin Marshall, James Ward, and Henry Thomas Alken, painted horses in the hunt, belonging to famous military leaders, or racing in a steeplechase. In Marshall's painting, the horses are somewhat stagnant compared to the active dogs in the foreground. I love how the artist has captured the distant landscape, albeit dark and mysterious.

Napoleon's Horse, Marengo at Waterloo (1824),
by James Ward

I enjoy this painting by James Ward, mainly because of the background. The brightly colored sky and fiery foreground contrast visually with the white horse, but possibly tell us something of the wild or spirited personality of Marengo.

Steeplechasing (c. 1845), Henry Thomas Alken

There is a series of cross-country horse racing by artist Henry Thomas Alken, many of which show various stages of the race, including action shots of jockeys falling off their steeds mid-jump. I feel like most of the detail is in the riders, who seem almost too upright and not matching the stride of the horses.

Three Horses a Water Trough (1847),
John F. Herring Sr.

Like the Wyeths, John Frederick Herring Sr. had sons who carried on his painting tradition. Herring Sr. enjoyed painting headshots of 2-3 horses in order to show their personalities. Such portraits were often matted in circular frames (It.: tondi).

In 1845, he was awarded the title, “Official Animal Painter” of the Duchess of Kent, later being permanently commissioned by Queen Victoria. This painting has been copied by multiple artists.

Bay Middleton (1836), Herring Sr.

Here's his painting of Bay Middleton, winner of the Epsom Derby in 1836. He has placed all the detail on the horse and diminished both the size and coloring of the jockey, who blends into the sky.

The first race of the Kentucky Derby took place in 1875 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky, and was won by Aristides. The 147th Kentucky Derby was won on May 1st, 2021 by Medina Spirit and was ridden by John Velazquez (not related to artist Diego Velazquez). I should mention that Medina Spirit's mother was Mongolian Changa, which means: a picky or spoiled person. Sounds like a mother! At least, we should be spoiling mothers on Mother's Day.

Romanticism French artists

Derby at Epsom (1821), Géricault

The French painter Théodore Géricault painted a series of horse racing paintings. While the movement of both the jockeys and horses is evident, some say that the stretched-out legs of the horses would not actually look like that even in full stride. It also looks like they are out-running a rainstorm.

Horse Frightened by a Thunderstorm (c. 1824),
Eugène Delacroix

Influenced by artists such as Théodore Géricault (1791–1824) and Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640), Eugène Delacroix is famous for his expressive brushstrokes, as is evidenced in this watercolor painting. The positioning of the legs and twisting of the head and neck show the fear of the startled animal. It reminds me of the James Ward work (above) though not as peaceful or pleasant to look at.

Abstract Art, Expressionism, and Cubism

Lyrical (1911), Kandinsky

Two of my favorite artists are Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky and German artist Franz Marc, both from the group known as the Blue Rider. You can see two of Kandinsky's paintings (covers of the Blue Rider Almanac) in the 1999 thriller Double Jeopardy.

Two Horses Red and Blue
(1912), Franz Marc

I enjoy Kandinsky's abstract compositions and Marc's brightly colored portraits of animals.

Horses (1911), Francis Picabia

Known as a French avant-garde painter, Francis Picabia dabbled in Impressionism and Pointillism before switching to Cubism and eventually a short period of Surrealism. His 'abstract' impressions of horses make use of flat areas (planes) of color in contrasting hues and values. I'd like to return to Paris and view this painting up close and from across the room. It's hard to see but there is a foal standing perpendicular to the orange-colored mare. I also like the use of violet and teal in the background.

Painting (The Circus Horse)
(1927), Joan Miró

The head of Spanish painter Joan Miró's abstracted version of a horse looks more like that of a peacock. He has further abstracted its shadow into a skewed rectangle and its legs down to a pair of thick white lines. In keeping with his primary color scheme, he has balanced his predominantly blue composition with four small balls.

Racing Art & Photography

Three Dates With Destiny, Fred Stone

Fred Stone (1930-2018) is one of the best-known painters of thoroughbred racehorses. My brother owns a print of his famous Secretariat painting entitled Three Dates With Destiny.

My brother and his wife, who photographs horses and other wildlife, also collect prints by artists whose work they've seen at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, NY. They also own a book, Saratoga (2005), by equine photographer and author, Barbara Livingston, who is based in the area.

Another great site for the art of equine photography is the Photo Review website. In it, Australian photographer, Nicole Emanuel shares tips and tricks for capturing the beauty and personalities of her subjects.