Horse racing in Epsom, Theodore Gericault, 1821

Description of the picture:

Horse racing in Epsom – Theodore Gericault. 1821. Oil on canvas. 92×123 cm

   Horses were the passion of the founder of romanticism in painting. One has only to look at his works in order to realize how the painter was in love with these animals, with what sincere admiration he portrayed them. The picture was the result of Gericault’s trip to the UK, where he got acquainted with the work of his colleagues, and also visited horse racing.

   Many researchers note an inexplicably disturbing background of the work, the plot of which does not contain anything disturbing.

   Movement … So in a word you can characterize this work. Race stallions rush, picked up by a competitive whirlwind, without touching the ground. Riders in the work only revive the 2nd plan, the painter rivets the spectator’s attention to the horses. A clear sketch, brilliant ability to convey the tension and dynamics of the place, colorful and rich tones. The painter conveys the world through the eyes of a rider. The viewer has a memory that the soaring stallions will not land, but will continue their own fast flight.

   An alarming and pre-stormy sky at work – as a foreboding of misfortune. Many say that a year before his own death, the master often addresses the theme of a stormy, bad sky. Predicted failure?

   Any viewer can be convinced that this work of Gericault looks unusually modern."