Two Horses Exercised by a Jockey

Two Horses Exercised by a Jockey is a significant lithograph created by the influential French Romantic master Théodore Géricault in 1822. Executed just two years before the artist’s early death, this print exemplifies Géricault’s profound interest in the dynamic relationship between human and animal, a central theme in his celebrated body of work. The selection of the lithographic medium allowed Géricault to explore movement and shadow with rapid, painterly freedom, capturing the raw energy of the subject matter with immediacy.

The composition focuses tightly on two powerful horses, likely Thoroughbreds, being guided by a single, determined jockey. Géricault skillfully uses the monochromatic range of the print to emphasize the refined musculature of the animals and the intense concentration required for the strenuous exercise. The subject captures a fleeting moment of preparation or training, imbued with a dramatic realism characteristic of the Romantic movement flourishing in France during this period. Géricault’s specialization in equestrian subjects revolutionized how artists approached the genre, moving away from static portraiture toward representations of speed, action, and intensity.

This highly regarded work connects the high drama of Romanticism with the nascent elements of realism that would define later 19th-century art. The quality and detail of the impression demonstrate Géricault’s mastery of the demanding printmaking process. This significant example of Two Horses Exercised by a Jockey is held within the esteemed permanent collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. As a testament to the popularity and accessibility of prints during the 1820s, high-resolution images of this work are frequently available via public domain resources.