Horse

"Horse," created by Edgar Degas around 1890, exemplifies the French artist’s intense focus on animal movement and structure, particularly during his later career. This powerful Drawing is distinguished by its complex medium: a chalk and pastel counterproof executed on wove paper. The counterproof technique involves pressing a freshly drawn or worked surface against a second sheet, transferring the image as a reversed impression. This allowed Degas to duplicate, modify, or study his compositions, often lending a subtle, diffused texture to the resulting image.

The period of 1876 to 1900 marked Degas's continuing exploration of unconventional materials and methods. While widely known for his depictions of ballerinas, the artist maintained a lifelong fascination with the equine form, frequently sketching horses in motion or at rest to analyze their complex musculature. As a prominent figure of the late 19th-century avant-garde, Degas was interested not simply in realistic depiction, but in capturing the vitality and energy of the isolated subject. The use of chalk and pastel provides a soft, atmospheric quality to this study, enabling him to capture the rapid, ephemeral characteristics of the animal’s presence.

Although executed quickly, the piece demonstrates Degas’s mastery of line and tone, suggesting volume and power through minimal application. The artwork currently resides in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, forming a crucial part of the institution’s holdings related to 19th-century French art. Because of the enduring legacy of the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist eras, works such as this are highly sought after for scholarly reference, and high-quality prints and digital materials are often made available through public domain initiatives.