Horse and Rider

The dynamic drawing Horse and Rider by Edgar Degas captures a subject central to the artist's later career: the disciplined movement of the thoroughbred and its handler. Executed entirely in black chalk sometime between 1885 and 1895, this drawing is characteristic of the French master's focus on instantaneous observation and the systematic study of form in motion.

As a preparatory work, the piece highlights Degas's technical command of line and his reliance on sketching to understand complex movement. Black chalk allowed Degas to render the figures with rapid, gestural strokes, emphasizing the physical energy inherent in the animal and the precise, controlled posture of the unnamed rider. Unlike many of his contemporaries who focused on landscape, Degas preferred to analyze human and animal kinetics, frequently returning to subjects related to the racecourse and the ballet, which provided rigorous opportunities for studying controlled movement.

Created in France during a phase of intense technical experimentation, the unfinished quality of this work suggests it was likely a preliminary study, intended to capture the essence of the figures before refinement in a larger pastel or oil medium. This dedication to capturing the isolated, moving figure demonstrates Degas’s commitment to realism and his unique approach to composition within 19th-century French culture. The original drawing remains a key part of the permanent collection at the Cleveland Museum of Art. For both collectors and academics, high-resolution prints derived from public domain images allow widespread study of this significant drawing by Degas.