Horse Art Pieces: What Are The Most Famous Ones?

The bond between horses and humans goes back thousands of years. This means that horses are quite important for our civilization, and they’ve impacted our advancement throughout the years.

Since we’ve been around horses for a long time, it is quite obvious that they’ve made their way into our culture and history. On top of that, horses carry a lot of symbolism and in most cases, they have a deeper meaning.

These are some of the reasons why equestrian art has been quite popular for a long time. Another thing that we have to mention is that horses have an incredible physique and often pose a challenge for painters nailing every bone and muscle, especially in movement.

However, not all equestrian art is created equal. Some of the pieces have transcended time and culture to become iconic symbols of artistry.

So, which equestrian art pieces are most popular and why do humans have this obsession with horse art?

Why Are Horses Such Popular Subjects in Art?

Before we dive into individual equine pieces, let’s first decipher why horses are so darn popular in art. After all, every emperor or ruler has his painting standing tall on a horse, and there must be a reason for that.

First and most importantly, horses have been around us for thousands of years, and they’ve carried us into battle, plowed our fields and they were used as transportation. So, their influence on our civilization is massive, which kind of explains the fact why horses are so popular in art.

Also, as we mentioned before, they carry a lot of symbolism. Horses are often depicted as symbols of power, freedom, strength, and speed. They’ve transitioned throughout history from domesticated wild horses to trained ones that help us with agriculture and battle, to equine sports where horses are nowadays seen as entertainment.

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Lastly, horses are visually striking, right? Their muscular bodies, flowing manes, and expressive eyes make them both a joy and a challenge to capture on canvas, and many of these artists wanted to push the boundaries of art and refine their skills by painting a horse.

The Parthenon Frieze: Horses of Ancient Greece

Let’s start with something old. Like, really old. This is an incredible stone art piece that is one of the most challenging equine art pieces in the world - we are talking about The Parthenon Frieze.

This incredible masterpiece was created in 440 BCE, and it features a couple of people riding horses close to one another. But what makes it special is the size of this piece. It is a massive marble sculpture that once adorned the Parthenon in Athens.

This piece found itself among the many scenes of gods, goddesses, and mortals, which made it even more stunning.

Plus, we are not talking about standing horses. The horses here are depicted in motion, with their legs extended and some of them standing on two legs. The level of detail is shocking, and as you observe this stonework, you start to wonder, how did the artist actually do this and how long did it take?

Leonardo da Vinci’s The Horse

It is very difficult to talk about art without mentioning Leonardo da Vinci, right? He was a man with many talents, and also a man of many unfinished projects like this one.

He died at 67 years old, and that’s just not enough time for a creative person like Leonardo da Vinci to express his skills through art.

Since we are on the topic of equestrian art, we have to mention one of his most ambitious projects - The Horse.

This is a massive bronze statue commissioned by the Duke of Milan in 1482. It was a difficult task, even for Leonardo, which is why he spent years studying horse anatomy where he created the most detailed horse sketches we have today.

Unfortunately, the statue was never completed. It was just bad timing. The project was plagued by delays, funding issues, and even war. Although Da Vinci managed to make a clay model, it was destroyed by French soldiers in 1499, and Leonardo’s dream of creating the largest and most detailed horse statue in the world was crushed.

But he left us something really valuable - his horse anatomy sketches and statue design that was drawn on multiple pieces of paper. This is where the story gets its twists when an American art collector named Charles Dent funded the creation of a bronze statue based on Leonardo’s designs.

We now have a 24-foot-tall horse statue called Leonardo’s Horse and it stands in Milan.

George Stubbs: The Horse Whisperer of Art

If there’s one artist who truly understood horses, it was George Stubbs. This 18th-century British painter was obsessed with equine anatomy. He even dissected horses to study their muscles and bones, publishing his findings in The Anatomy of the Horse in 1766.

Stubbs’ paintings are incredibly lifelike, capturing the texture of a horse’s coat, the gleam in its eye, and the tension in its muscles. One of his most famous works is Whistlejacket, a portrait of a rearing racehorse. 

The painting is striking in its simplicity—just the horse against a plain background—but it’s also incredibly dynamic. You can almost hear the horse’s hooves pounding the ground.

Edgar Degas: Horses in Motion

Edgar Degas is best known for his ballerinas, but he was also fascinated by horses. His paintings and sculptures often depict racehorses and jockeys, capturing the energy and movement of the track.

One of his most famous equestrian works is At The Races, a series of paintings that show horses and riders in various stages of a race. Degas was a master of capturing motion, and his horses seem to leap off the canvas.

Degas also created a series of bronze sculptures of horses, including The Little Fourteen-Year-Old Dancer (which features a horse) and Horse Galloping on Right Foot. These sculptures are small but incredibly detailed, showcasing Degas’ skill as both a painter and a sculptor.

Marino Marini: The Modern Equestrian

Fast forward to the 20th century, and we have Marino Marini, an Italian sculptor known for his abstract equestrian statues. Marini’s horses are sleek and stylized, often depicted with elongated necks and simplified forms.

One of his most famous works is The Angel of the City, a bronze statue of a rider on a horse. The rider’s arms are outstretched, as if embracing the sky, while the horse rears up on its hind legs. The statue is both powerful and poetic, a modern take on a classic subject.

Who knew that horses are so popular in art, right? There are even more equine art pieces, and one article isn’t enough to highlight them all.

Conclusion: 

From the ancient carvings of the Parthenon Frieze to the modern sculptures of Marino Marini, horses have remained a profound artistic subject throughout history. Their strength, grace, and symbolism continue to captivate artists and collectors alike. Whether in classical paintings, Renaissance sketches, or contemporary sculptures, equestrian art transcends time, evoking emotion and admiration.

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