Three Jockeys

Three Jockeys is a dynamic drawing created by Edgar Degas between 1895 and 1905. This work exemplifies the artist’s late obsession with movement, rendered primarily in highly saturated pastel on tracing paper, which has been skillfully laid down on board for preservation. Classified technically as a drawing due to its materials, this intense piece is a significant example of Degas’s prolific later output and currently resides in the esteemed collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.

Throughout his long career, Degas returned repeatedly to the subject of horse racing, capturing the rigorous training of the men and the powerful, condensed energy of the animals. Unlike his earlier, more precise compositions, this late work utilizes broad, aggressive strokes of pastel. The three jockeys and their mounts are depicted with vibrant, sometimes clashing colors—greens, blues, and reds—that swirl across the support, reducing the forms almost to abstraction. This technique allowed Degas to prioritize light and motion over narrative detail, reflecting the fleeting impression of speed and action.

The medium of pastel on paper was central to Degas’s late style, providing an opportunity for rapid, layered color application even as his eyesight deteriorated. While many of his racing compositions served as preparation for larger paintings, this finished piece stands independently as a powerful statement on his sustained focus on equestrian subjects. The enduring appeal of Degas's unique approach ensures that high-quality prints of this composition are widely available, securing its place within the public domain of late Impressionist masterworks.