Publication Overview
- 150 full-colour illustrations capture 10,000 years of the horse in art
- Authoritative text traces the history of artistic representations of the horse from the earliest paintings and sculptures
'The horse is an archetypal symbol which will always find ways to stir up deep and moving ancestral memories in every human being.' So said Paul Mellon in his foreword to the first edition of The Horse in Art. His comment neatly encapsulates man's fascination with the animal and the reason it has been so popular with artists from the four corners of the globe for so many centuries.
Nobody knows exactly when humans were able to capture and domesticate horses, but it is clear that since ancient times, man has had a unique relationship with them. They have borne his burdens, ploughed his fields, pulled his carriages, carried him into battle. The grace and beauty of the horse, as well as man’s reliance on the animal, has inspired artists since the Stone Age, and over the millennia they have come to represent freedom, strength and nobility. In friezes and statues, watercolours and oils, hundreds of people have immortalised the horse in art.
Now, this magnificent new edition brings artistic representation of the horse to life once again, revised, updated and in full colour. From the ancient cave paintings at Lascaux to the the grand canvases of George Stubbs, here are images of horses of all types – racehorses, warhorses, wild Arabian steeds and humble packhorses. The Horse in Art is a unique guide to the changing perspectives, styles and interpretations in the art of this one enduring subject.
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