Wild Horse or Frightened Horse Leaving the Water
1828
Medium
Lithograph from two stones in buff and black on white wove paper
Dimensions
Image: 26.7 × 24.4 cm (10 9/16 × 9 5/8 in.); Sheet: 24.4 × 24.1 cm (9 5/8 × 9 1/2 in.)
Classification
lithograph
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
100822
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Delacroix frequently depicted wild horses, often as the unwilling prey of larger animals. The British artist George Stubbs (1724–1806) was a likely inspiration for these works, as his printed portraits of horses in dark settings and bleak situations were well known in France. Delacroix’s sizable, atmospheric lithograph leaves much to the viewer’s imagination. We cannot see the reason for the horse’s fright, but feel its powerful urge to escape. This chilling image touches on all the hallmarks of...
About the Artist
Eugène Delacroix · 1798–1863
Eugène Delacroix (1798–1863) stands as the defining figure of French Romanticism and a pivotal bridge to modernism. Born in Charenton-Saint-Maurice near Paris, he came from distinguished lineage—his mother descended from the prestigious Oeben-Riesener furniture dynasty, while persistent speculation suggested the statesman Talleyrand may have been his biological father, a theory supported by physic...