Horse Art (Continued)

Napoleon Crossing the Alps (1802),
Jacques-Louis David

I'm revisiting the topic of Horse Art, which I published 4 years ago in Horse Art & Photography -- In Honor of the Kentucky Derby. Since watching the 2025 Preakness Stakes, and (of course) the Kentucky Derby, I am once again enamored with horse racing, the splendid spirited thoroughbreds, and the brightly-colored silks of the jockeys. This famous painting of Napoleon (with a red cape) leading his troop across the Alps currently hangs in the Palace of Versailles, where we visited in May 2011. You can see his troops riding on ahead of him in the distance, if you look under and through his horse. The Emperor was actually of average height (for a Frenchman), standing at 5'6.5".

Horse Fair (1855), Rosa Bonheur

On display at the National Gallery of London is Horse Fair by Rosa Bonheur. The tumultuous scene is dark with highlights focusing on the white horses and some of the figures leading the horses around. This is much more impressive in person!

At the Stables, Horse and Dog
(1882), Degas

French Impressionist, Edgar Degas painted this charming portrait of a couple of stablemates. I'm not confident that I've found the original painting, as many websites seem to be offering reproductions for sale. I like the warm color scheme and black details. The repetition of the horse's legs and the vertical post of the stall frame the composition. The white bridle and distant accessories bring your eye down toward the barn dog.

Encounter at the Horse Barn, Reichert

I also found this painting by Austrian realist, Carl Reichert, who painted many portraits of dogs and horses in his lifetime. He died in 1918 at the age of 81. Unfortunately, I am unable to find the date in which this was painted.

Two Riders on the Beach (1901), Liebermann

German artist Max Liebermann painted a pair of similar paintings while vacationing in Scheveningen on the North Sea. I love the waves on the water, the splash of the second horse, and the reflection of the legs in the puddle and in shadow on the sandy beach.

The Polo Game (1910), Bellows

George Bellows is best known for his action paintings of boxers and lesser known for his three paintings of polo matches. The scene is pretty chaotic! The large bank of clouds distracts me from the action happening on the field below. I think the white boundary line isn't necessary, unless the dog (?) and spectators are meant to frame the central pair of horses. The rider's white pants leg seems to merge with the body of the white horse.

A Start at Newmarket (1937), Munnings

A Start at Newmarket may have been a study for the painting by impressionist Sir Alfred Munnings. The horses are lining up for the start of a race. The details of both jockeys and horses is minimal, and suggests the tension, movement, and excitement mounting just before "They're off!". Little attention to detail was given to the dull sky and grass.

The Finish (1974), Neiman

American Expressionist Leroy Neiman painted this brightly colored portrait of three jockeys and their racehorses. It almost looks like a tryptic, with each jockey's silks and mounts contrasting with their backgrounds, dividing them into three columns separated by imaginary lines.

California Chrome (2021), Jon Patterson

I prefer my brother's horse paintings to any by these more famous artists. The ones he accomplished using MS Paint 3D are so impressive! I love the saturated colors and the movement. And the colorful dots in the background, representing the spectators in the grandstands watching the race. Magnificent!!

Above are some standalone portraits of horses by my brother, Jon: Zenyatta, Winx, and Street Cry. And these were done using a stylus and MS Paint 3D on a tablet!

Melancholy, Sadness, Grief, and Loneliness in Art

It's been almost one year since the passing of my wife of >40 years. Spring flowers, as discussed in my previous post, bring me joy and remind me of my lovely wife, whose birthday is in early April. On the flip side is the loneliness I'm experiencing, along with the sadness and grief of losing the love of my life.

The Honorable Mrs. Graham
(1777), Gainsborough

Thomas Gainsborough's portrait of The Honorable Mrs. Graham was commissioned by Mary's husband, Thomas, though she died a few years later of tuberculosis after he attentively cared for her throughout her illness. Sadly, he couldn't bring himself to look at her portrait after her death, and he lived for another 50 years. I may have seen this painting in the Scottish National Gallery when we visited Edinburgh in 2017.

Sorrowing Old Man (1890),
Van Gogh

Most of my favorite artists were Impressionists, with their soft, yet vibrant colors, peaceful landscapes, and portraits. Van Gogh's At Eternity's Gate (a.k.a. Sorrowing Old Man) shows a tired, worn-out man seated beside a warm hearth and possibly contemplating life after death in heaven. The chair resembles the one in the painting of Vincent's bedroom. I believe both men were residents of the asylum at St. Rémy, where Van Gogh spent the last two years of his life battling mental illness.

The Old Guitarist (1903), Picasso

In my post, Making Connections with Artists & Animals, I highlight Picasso's The Old Guitarist, which I like to use in my art lesson plans. It frequently appears in episodes of Bewitched, which I have watched repeatedly in reruns. It was hung rotated 90 degrees to the right to fit over the Stephens' fireplace. I like to ask my students which orientation is correct and which they like best. Picasso began to paint figures of the downtrodden (like this blind, poor guitarist) in response to the death of his close friend, Casagemas.

Christina's World (1948), Wyeth

Probably my favorite American Realist artist is Andrew Wyeth. In my post entitled, Farms and Barns by Famous Artists, he is described as "an actor being typecast for a specific role, who struggles to be recognized for his other works, and is forever remembered for a single character". Christina is a disabled young woman in a field of grass. You may recall his obsession with Helga, who was his most often painted model.

Nighthawks (1942), Hopper

In a repeated commercial for the Looney Tunes Sylvester & Tweety Mysteries series, the backgrounds that fly by remind me of the paintings of Edward Hopper. Nighthawks depicts a late-night diner with four lonely people. There's a takeoff painting with James Dean, Humphrey Bogart, Marilyn Monroe, and Elvis Presley as the soda jerk behind the counter. A Simpsons episode, "Homer and the 18th Amendment" also spoofs the famous painting.

Hotel Room (1931), Hopper

Automat (1927), Hopper

Many of Hopper's images are melancholic, especially Automat and the Hotel Room. In both paintings, a young woman is seated alone, one at a restaurant table at night, and the other in a small hotel room during the day. They share a similar color scheme, perspective, and strong contrast of light and dark.

The Scream (1895), Munch

Norwegian Expressionist Edvard Munch is often considered to be the melancholiest artist of all time. His paintings dealt primarily with death, as many of his family members suffered and died from lung disease such as tuberculosis and some of his subjects from polio and syphilis. He (like Van Gogh) also suffered from mental illness, probably from experiencing trauma early and throughout his life. The Scream is sometimes referred to as the Mona Lisa of its time and is clearly one of his most recognizable works. I didn't realize that it was pastel-on-board. Apparently, in 2012, it sold for $120M. It is also considered to be his self-portrait, that of a mad man, although he has painted the figure asexually and almost inhuman, like a space alien.

Pocket Poodles (1962), Keane

The final painting I want to share is by 'Big-Eye' artist Margaret Keane, whose second husband tried to take credit for her paintings (Can you believe that!?). Tim Burton's 2014 biopic, Big Eyes starred Amy Adams as the blonde artist. Pocket Poodles (1962) is a portrait of a sad young girl holding two small dogs. You may find such portraits cute, but I think they're a little creepy. In my grief journey, I am blessed to have the comfort of my own two Shih-Tzu fur babies, without whom I'd be lost!

May Flower Paintings

White Lilacs in a Crystal Vase
(1882), Manet

For this post, I was inspired by the red-violet lilac bush that is finally blooming in my yard this Spring. Édouard Manet painted White Lilacs in a Crystal Vase in 1882. Notice how soft the flower petals are depicted against the detail of the glass vase.

Palm Springs Floral Arrangement
(2021), Patterson

I painted a bouquet of hydrangeas, lilies, and orchids in a very similar square glass vase using watercolors, achieving an impressionistic composition. Seeing how a master artist represented lilacs makes me proud of how a novice like me captured the texture of white hydrangeas. I also like the modern glass beads at the bottom of my vase.

Lilacs in a Window (1880-83),
Cassatt

Mary Cassatt also captured lilacs in her painting, Lilacs in a Window (1880-1883). I especially like the lighting, and the mixture of lavender and white lilacs perched in an open garden window. This is an oil painting in an Impressionist style, even softer than the Manet above.

Lilac Bush (1889), Van Gogh

Vincent Van Gogh also painted a lilac bush, although much bushier than my own scraggly one. Because of the detail of his foliage, the execution of the bush departs from the better-known brushstrokes found in the background and to the right.

Alliums and Lace (2017),
Stafford

Alliums are very similar to lilacs but in a spherical, ball shape. You almost have to be a Pointillist in order to capture the texture and multiple hues. Here's a painting by a Fine Art America colleague, Natalie Stafford. I love the shadow at the bottom left corner!

Monet

Manet

I've blogged about peonies and the paintings of bouquets by Claude Monet and Édouard Manet. Pretty different interpretations! I use the Manet version for lessons about positive-negative space, and the Monet for comparison.

Young Woman with Peonies (1870),
Bazille

Bouquet of Flowers in a Vase
(1886), Van Gogh

I also enjoy Van Gogh's interpretation of peonies. And I also found this portrait of a black woman by Frederic Bazille. It's really like three separate painting -- the flowers in the foreground, the bouquet of peonies, and the portrait of the woman.

Still Life with Irises (1890), Van Gogh

Of course, everyone loves Van Gogh's irises. I guess I never noticed the dark outlines of the flowers before. Of course, Van Gogh still use a lot of yellow in his paintings! I enjoy his saturated colors and high contrast and the feelings they invoke.

Bleeding Heart (1932),
O'Keefe

There are several other May flowers I could show you, but I'm not as interested in Lily of the Valley and Bleeding Hearts. Georgia O'Keefe did paint bleeding hearts, although in my opinion not as impressive as many of her other floral closeups.

Lily-of-the-Valley (1886), Lucas

The only Lily-of-the-Valley depiction I could find is the landscape by Albrecht Durer Lucas. While the bell-shaped flowers are perhaps easier to paint than other more elaborate blooms, I think they read as cartoony and don't hold my interest. Lucas even had to surround them by a beautiful landscape!