Horse and Rider by Edgar Degas
Look first

Horse and Rider

Edgar Degas · c. 1890

The horse feels more alive than the rider because Degas keeps revising the animal in motion.

What to notice

Look closely at the hind legs, where overlapping positions reveal Degas thinking on the page rather than hiding the correction.

Discover

Degas studied horses with the same persistence he brought to dancers. The ghostlike rider matters less than the animal's anatomy, weight, and changing stance.

Source institution: Cleveland Museum of Art
Rights status: CC0 / Cleveland Museum of Art Open Access
Cleveland Museum of Art
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