Horses in a Meadow

Horses in a Meadow by Edgar Degas, painted in 1871, is an exemplary oil on canvas reflecting the artist's accelerating shift toward scenes of modern life and spontaneous observation. Created during the pivotal 1851 to 1875 period, this work demonstrates Degas's burgeoning interest in capturing movement and atmosphere, diverging sharply from the classical subjects that characterized his earlier career. The French artistic environment of the early 1870s was undergoing rapid transformation, moving toward greater immediacy, and Degas embraced the challenge of rendering naturalistic, unposed views.

The composition depicts several horses resting or grazing quietly in a sunlit pasture. Unlike his later, more formally arranged depictions of racecourse activity, this piece emphasizes the naturalistic atmosphere and quietude of the setting. Degas employs a relatively loose, expressive brushwork, allowing the texture of the oil paint to define the forms and the light filtering through the meadow. This focus on the immediate, captured moment without excessive finishing details aligns the work with the growing trend toward Impressionism, even though Degas always maintained a rigorous focus on drawing and composition. His sustained fascination with equine subjects, a defining motif across his oeuvre, is here presented with a quiet intimacy.

This significant French painting currently resides in the collection of the National Gallery of Art. The work serves as an important illustration of the period when Degas began transitioning fully from historical painter to an observer of modern urban and leisure subjects. Due to its historical importance and status, high-quality reproductions and prints of this canvas are frequently available through museum or institutional collections, sometimes entering the public domain. Degas’s meticulous study of form, evident even in these relaxed studies, solidifies his reputation as a master chronicler of nineteenth-century life.