Horses on Canvas

I think that paintings depicting animals are very creative and imaginative. This is a short series about all kinds of animal paintings with a link to each given below. After this article, there will be paintings depicting cows and then birds.

Horses became the main means of transportation all around the world up to 1,000 years ago across Europe and Asia. They are beautiful animals, loyal to humans, and among the most intelligent domestic animals on Earth.

Whitejacket 1762 George Stubbs

English artist George Stubbs was known for his artwork depicting horses. This painting is his most popular work and among the most famous horse paintings ever created. The horse in the artwork was a prized racehorse owned by the Marquess of Rockingham.

Napoleon Crossing the Alps Jacques Louis-David

French artist Jacques Louis-David created paintings with intricate detail. This artwork was one of his most celebrated paintings. It depicts Napoleon on a warhorse leading his men toward the snow-capped peaks of the Swiss Alps. His troops and cannons are seen in the background marching up into the rocky abyss that no other major army had ever trekked through in the winter.

The 1821 Derby at Epsom Theodore Gericault

French artist Theodore Gericault was one of the most prolific painters during the early 19th century in France. The artist worked in the royal stables in Versailles for a short time and became acquainted with different horses. This artwork became his most well-known painting depicting a horse race across the open prairie. Four jockeys can be seen bunched together in a tight pack. Gericault was also an avid rider and his declining health toward the end of his like was due to experiencing multiple serious riding accidents. This painting was created for a famous English racehorse owner.

Lady Godiva John Collier

British artist John Collier was one of the most celebrated English painters in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was known for creating artworks that depicted historical events and legends from England. Among his most notable paintings is his interpretation of the story of Lady Godiva. The artwork depicts the well-known wife of the 13th-century Earl of Mercia. Legend has it that she rode naked through the streets of Coventry to protest a heavy tax her husband, Leofric, had levied on the people. The painting includes the image of Mab Paul, a prominent model and theater actress from the time period. She is depicted atop of a white stallion fitted with a royal robe, saddle, and halter.

Horse Frightened by Thunderstorm 1800s Eugene Delacroix

French artist Eugene Delacroix was regarded as one of the most prominent figures from the Realism Movement in France during the early 19th century. The artist was known for his artwork which included horses near the seashore or in other scenes from the 1800s. This painting depicts a darkened sky illuminated by sudden lightning bolts flashing behind the clouds. A majestic stallion rears up frightened by the storm. This artwork is one of the few watercolors created by Delacroix during this time.

Blue Horses 1911 Franz Marc

German artist Franz Marc created abstract and surreal paintings in the early 20th century. He was a celebrated painter from Germany known for creating artwork with vivid and brilliant colors. In this painting, Marc portrays the horses in a deep, royal blue color against a background featuring reddish hillsides and yellow-orange clouds. This became one of his more memorable artworks before his life ended at 36 years of age when he was killed at the Battle of Verdun.

The Parade, Racehorses in Front of the Tribunes 1868 Edgar Degas

French Impressionist artist Edgar Degas is remembered as one of the greatest artists of the Impressionist Movement. His artworks centered around unconventional scenes and figures. This painting is among his most famous artworks. It depicts many thoroughbred racehorses preparing to run at a well-known horse racetrack. It is a painting that is often copied and displayed in and around horse racing circles in both Europe and the US where the sport is popular.

La Femme au Cheval/Woman with a Horse 1912 Jean Metzinger

French artist Jean Metzinger was widely recognized as a master among Cubism artists during the early 20th century. Cubist artists worked with scenes and subjects common with viewers but portrayed them in a way that displayed their subjects in a variety of angles. One of Metzinger’s most celebrated artworks depicts a human and an animal figure. This painting was first exhibited in Paris, France at the Salon des Independants. The artwork shows multiple aspects of the main figures in the painting at the same time. This established Metzinger as one of the founding fathers of the Cubist era.