Leçon de Voltiges (Trick Riding)
1822
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
1822
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Leçon de Voltiges (Trick Riding) is a 1822 ink by Eugène Delacroix, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
This sketch is packed with wild action. Horses rear and buck, riders tumble or cling on, and a few people stand calmly below watching. The scene is chaotic but precise—every muscle and flinch is drawn sharply. Some figures hold signs with words like *"Gloire honneur Patrie"* and *"Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité."* The artist used a scratchy, fast style to show movement, almost like scribbling with a pencil. This was a new way to make prints at the time. Next, look up lithography to see how artists like this made sharp images without paintbrushes.
