Horses in the Meadow

"Horses in the Meadow," created by Edgar Degas between 1891 and 1892, is a highly complex example of the artist's late-career experimentation with graphic media. Classified as a print, the work utilizes a demanding combination of softground etching, aquatint, and drypoint on laid paper. This technical breadth allowed Degas to achieve a remarkable richness of tone and texture, reminiscent of the visual effects he perfected in his pastel drawings. Crucially, this impression is documented as the unique second state of three, illustrating the intense developmental process the artist invested in refining his etching plates.

While Degas is famously associated with the drama of the ballet and the intensity of the Paris racetrack, his lifelong fascination with horses as subjects of natural movement is evident in this piece. The composition captures the animals standing casually in a field, lending a sense of observed tranquility rather than dramatic action. During the 1890s, Degas increasingly focused on such specialized printing processes, moving away from traditional oil painting to create these highly complex and sought-after prints.

His detailed exploration of line and shadow within this small format demonstrates a masterful control over the medium. This refined piece represents the Impressionist master's enduring commitment to graphic innovation even in his later years. The specific techniques employed ensured that each impression, like this one residing in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, possessed subtle differences. The quality of works such as Horses in the Meadow ensures their continued study; high-resolution images of many of Degas’s prints are often made available through the museum under public domain guidelines, broadening access to his sophisticated graphic output.