Artwork
Horse
Horse is a pastel drawing by the Impressionist artist Edgar Degas. It dates from 1890 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
- Inscription
- Inscribed:stamped in black lower left: Degas; by later hand, lower right in graphite: 125; upper center verso Degas atelier stamp (Lugt 657); lower right verso in graphite: (impression réhaussée); by later hand, lower right verso in graphite: 2160
About this work
Overview
Horse is a drawing created by Edgar Degas around 1890 using chalk and pastel counterproof on wove paper. It exemplifies the artist's skill as a draftsman and his ability to capture subjects with technical precision.
Subject & Meaning
The drawing depicts a single horse standing still, facing left. The loose and sketchy lines, along with the soft browns and faint shadows, convey a sense of the animal's form and the play of light on its body.
Technique & Style
Degas employed chalk and pastel counterproof to achieve a range of tonal values and textures. The horse's legs and tail are rendered more roughly than the rest of the body, suggesting a rapid execution, possibly as a study of light and form.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas on 19 July 1834 in Paris, Edgar Degas came from an affluent banking family with aristocratic roots and spent his childhood among the cultivated circles of the French capital.
