Artwork
Horses
Horses is an oil painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Albert Besnard. It dates from 1898 and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
About this work
Technique & Style
As an oil-on-canvas piece, it adheres to traditional academic painting methods characteristic of the late 19th century.
Paul-Albert Besnard's Horses, created in 1898, is an oil painting executed on canvas. The work measures 61.3 cm in height and 51.1 cm in width. As an oil-on-canvas piece, it adheres to traditional academic painting methods characteristic of the late 19th century.
The composition centers on the depiction of a horse, rendered through the artist's handling of oil pigments to define form and movement within the medium's physical constraints.
History & Provenance
Horses is an oil painting by Paul-Albert Besnard, dated 1898. The work was created that year and subsequently entered the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it remains held. No further details about its commission, intermediate ownership, or acquisition history are documented in the available sources.
Overview
Paul‑Albert Besnard’s 1898 oil painting titled Horses presents a small group of equine figures set against a rustic backdrop. Executed in the late nineteenth century, the work is part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection and exemplifies the artist’s interest in animal subjects rendered with a keen sense of atmosphere.
Subject & Meaning
The canvas shows three brown horses, each with dark manes and tails, standing on a compacted earth surface and looking toward the left. They are positioned before a low stone wall, while foliage and trees recede in the distance, suggesting a tranquil rural setting that emphasizes the quiet presence of the animals within a natural landscape.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
