Before the Race
1888
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1888
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Before the Race is a 1888 by Edgar Degas, a Impressionism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see four jockeys on horseback, waiting for a race to start. The horses fidget, muscles tense under shiny coats. The riders sit still, eyes forward, hands tight on the reins. Degas drew this scene twice—first in charcoal, then flipped it and added color. He tweaked the spacing between horses and added trees to make the scene feel alive. Small changes, but they make the moment feel real. Look up *impasto*—it’s how Degas built up thick, buttery strokes to make the pastel pop off the paper.
