Before the Race
 | |
| Artist | Edgar Degas |
|---|---|
| Year | 1882-84 |
| Medium | Oil on panel |
| Dimensions | 26.4 cm × 34.9 cm (10.4 in × 13.7 in) |
| Location | The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore |
Impressionist painter, Edgar Degas, began painting scenes with horses in the 1860s, including Before the Race (1882–84).
History
Horse racing became a popular pastime in 19th century France under Louis-Philippe and Napoleon III. Degas began admiring horses while visiting friends in Normandy. Over the course of his career it is reported that he created 45 oils, 20 pastels, 250 drawings, and 17 sculptures related to horses. Degas was eager to know horses in anatomical detail.[1] As a student, Degas had filled his notebooks with drawings of horses. During a tour of breeding farms with Paul Valpincon and after exposure to horse races, Degas appreciated the movement of the horses and the colors of the jockeys uniforms. He wanted to make his paintings seem spontaneous as if he'd captured a passing moment.[2] Before the Race is one of three identically titled paintings from the early 1880s. During this time Degas was reported to have a full sized stuffed horse in his studio.[3] This version is part of the collection of The Walters Art Museum, the other two are part of the collections of Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute and the Mrs. John Hay Whitney Collection.[4]
Analysis
Of the three versions, the Walters' painting most closely resembles a sketch. The setting of the painting is barely suggested and the pigments are thinly applied.[4]
Off the Wall
Currently, Before the Race is being featured in Off the Wall, an open-air exhibition on the streets of Baltimore, Maryland. A reproduction of the painting, the original is part of The Walters Art Museum collection, will be on display at the Horse You Came in on Saloon.[5] The National Gallery in London began the concept of bringing art out of doors in 2007 and the Detroit Institute of Art introduced the concept in the U.S.. The Off the Wall reproductions of the Walters' paintings are done on weather-resistant vinyl and include a description of the painting and a QR code for smart phones.[6]
References
- ↑ [Werner, A., Degas: Pastels, Watson and Guptill, 1984, p. 60]
- ↑ [Meyer, S.E., First Impressions: Edgar Degas, Henry N. Abrams, 1994, p. 52]
- ↑ [Ganz, J.A., Great French Paintings from the Clark: Barbizon through Impressionism, Skira Rizzolli, 2011, p. 130]
- 1 2 [Johnston, W. R., Nineteenth-Century Art: From Romanticism to Art Nouveau, The Walters Art Gallery, 2000, p. 138]
- ↑ Walters Art Museum - Off the Wall
- ↑ [Smith, T., Walters Art Museum goes of the wall, The Baltimore Sun, September 11, 2012]