Two Draft Horses
1830
chalk
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
About the artist
Artist
Alexandre Gabriel Decamps
Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps was a French painter noted for his Orientalist works.
See the richer artist page1830
chalk
paper
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Two Draft Horses is a 1830 chalk by Alexandre Gabriel Decamps, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch shows two horses harnessed together, standing in a stable or barn. They are facing left, and their heads are down, as if they are eating or resting. The horses are drawn in black and white chalk on gray-green paper. The horses are the main focus of the sketch, and they are drawn in a loose, expressive style. The artist has used quick, gestural lines to capture the movement and texture of the horses' bodies. The background of the sketch is simple, with just a few lines suggesting the presence of a wall or other objects in the stable. The sketch is a good example of the Romanticism movement, which emphasized emotion and imagination in art. It also shows the artist's skill with chiaroscuro, a technique that uses strong contrasts between light and dark to create a sense of volume and depth.
Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps was a French painter noted for his Orientalist works.
See the richer artist page
