Horses Going to a Fair

Théodore Géricault was an accomplished horseman who developed a deep understanding of equine anatomy. This print was made during his visit to England in 1820-1821 and shows a group of stocky workhorses ascending a rise. Géricault expertly renders the patterning of the horses’ coats as well as their heavy forms, which offered a counterpoint to the sleeker forms of racehorses that he also painted at this time. In addition to modern life scenes, Géricault also occasionally treated scenes from ancient history, as in his Oath of Brutus after the Death of Lucretia in the Nelson-Atkins’ collection.