1879 (ca.), Edgar Degas, Jockeys before the Race -- Courtauld Gallery (London) (special exhibition)
From the exhibition label: Three jockeys exercise their horses in the tense moments before a race. Edgar Degas eschewed the organised setting of the starting line in favour of this more dynamic and disordered scene, creating an off-kilter composition that appears caught like a snapshot. His deep admiration for the inventive and bold compositions of Japanese prints is evident in his decision to have the starting post bisect the composition and cut through the horses. When Degas exhibited this work at the Fourth Impressionist Exhibition in Paris in 1879, this radical approach, paired with his experimental combination of paint and pastel, challenged contemporary expectations.
1879 (ca.), Edgar Degas, Jockeys before the Race -- Courtauld Gallery (London) (special exhibition)
From the exhibition label: Three jockeys exercise their horses in the tense moments before a race. Edgar Degas eschewed the organised setting of the starting line in favour of this more dynamic and disordered scene, creating an off-kilter composition that appears caught like a snapshot. His deep admiration for the inventive and bold compositions of Japanese prints is evident in his decision to have the starting post bisect the composition and cut through the horses. When Degas exhibited this work at the Fourth Impressionist Exhibition in Paris in 1879, this radical approach, paired with his experimental combination of paint and pastel, challenged contemporary expectations.