On the occasion of Menagerie: Animals on View, we're taking a closer look at several of the thematic groupings in the exhibition. This week: Horses.
There exists an enduring bond between horses and humanity. These noble creatures have influenced the ways in which civilizations engage in warfare, trade, transportation, agriculture, sports, and many other facets of modern life. In their representations of these majestic animals in the rural landscape, on the battlefield, and elsewhere, artists have often conveyed aspects of the current cultural and social milieu.
In the second half of the 19th century, Rosa Bonheur aimed to capture their thunderous energy and the anguish horses felt within the urban environment, whereas Impressionist Edgar Degas studied the grace, strength, and movement of racehorses. A century later, in Two-Tone, Susan Rothenberg reconciles the rigors of the traditional motif of the horse with elements of abstraction.
Rosa Bonheur (French, 1822–1899). Le marché aux chevaux (The Horse Fair), ca. 1852. Oil on canvas, 10 1/2 x 25 inches (26.7 x 63.5 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Elisabeth H. Gates Fund, 1927 (1927:16).
Edgar Degas (French, 1834–1917). Study of a Cavalier, ca. 1882. Charcoal on paper, 8 11/16 x 9 3/8 inches (22.1 x 23.8 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Bequest of Norman E. Boasberg, 1962 (1962:5.1).
Edgar Degas (French, 1834–1917). Horse with Head Lowered, ca. 1885 (cast executed 1919–21). Bronze, edition 22/K; 7 5/8 x 10 3/4 x 3 1/8 inches (19.4 x 27.3 x 7.9 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Bequest of A. Conger Goodyear, 1966 (1966:9.23).
Francisco de Goya (Spanish, 1746–1828). La mujer y el potro, que los dome otro (A woman and a horse—let someone else master them), published 1875. Etching, aquatint, and drypoint, plate 10 from the second edition of “Los Disparates,” 11 7/8 x 17 1/4 inches (30.2 x 43.8 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Charles W. Goodyear Fund, 1968 (P1968:13).
María Izquierdo (Mexican, 1902–1955). Horses Actors, 1940. Gouache on paper, 16 x 22 1/2 inches (40.6 x 57.2 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Room of Contemporary Art Fund, 1940 (RCA1940:10). © Estate of María Izquierdo.
Lawrence H. Lebduska (American, 1894–1966). Horse and Tiger, 1932–33. Oil on canvas, 22 x 24 inches (55.9 x 61 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Room of Contemporary Art Fund, 1942 (RCA1942:3). © 1932-1933 Estate of Lawrence H. Lebduska.
Marino Marini (Italian, 1901–1980). Horse, 1945. Bronze, 8 x 10 x 3 inches (20.3 x 25.4 x 7.6 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Given in Memory of Northrup R. Knox by Friends and The Seymour H. Knox Foundation, Inc., 1999 (1999:19.3). © Estate of Marino Marini / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SIAE, Rome.
George Ford Morris (American, 1873–1960). Job’s War Horse, 1945. Lithograph, 8 x 10 x 3 inches (20.3 x 25.4 x 7.6 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Gift of Frederic P. Norton, 1999 (P1999:6.405). © Estate of George Ford Morris.
George Ford Morris (American, 1873–1960). Whirlaway, 1945. Lithograph, 14 3/8 x 11 inches (36.5 x 27.9 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Gift of Frederic P. Norton, 1999 (P1999:6.404). © Estate of George Ford Morris.
Bruce Nauman (American, born 1941). Green Horses, 1988. Video installation (color, sound) with two color video monitors, two DVD players, video projector, and chair; running time: 59 minutes, 40 seconds. Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Purchased jointly by the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, with funds from the Bequest of Arthur B. Michael, by exchange, 2007 and the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, with funds from the Director's Discretionary Fund and the Painting and Sculpture Committee (2007:7a-k). © Bruce Nauman / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Joseph Piccillo (American, born 1941). Study, 1981. Charcoal on paper, 30 x 40 inches (76.2 x 101.6 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Armand J. Castellani, 1985 (1985:18). © 1981 Joseph Piccillo.
Louise Nevelson (American, born Russia [now Ukraine], 1899–1988). Kneeling Horse, 1932–85. Bronze, 9 x 14 x 8 inches (22.9 x 35.6 x 20.3 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Gift of Diana MacKown, 1990 (1990:2). © Estate of Louise Nevelson / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
Susan Rothenberg (American, born 1945). Two-Tone, 1975. Acrylic and tempera on canvas, 69 x 113 inches (175.3 x 287 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Armand J. Castellani, 1977 (1977:22). © Susan Rothenberg / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.
