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Gentlemen at the races: before the start by Edgar Degas

Gentlemen at the races: before the start by Edgar Degas

The painting “Gentlemen at the race: before the start” is part of a series of works Degas devoted to the theme related to equestrian sport.

It is believed that the artist was not so much fascinated by the natural grace of noble animals as by the behavior of professional jockeys – their movements, gestures, although, while in Italy, he did not hide his admiration for horses.

The canvas is remarkable for the fact that with its help it is possible to trace the improvement of the technique of the artist, who did not allow himself to stop in creative development. In the first version of the work, created in 1860-1862, Degas portrayed the figures of the riders as indistinct, while the background of the picture was a plain, unremarkable landscape that was a tribute to the English tradition.

After a twenty-year break, when the artist returned to this work, he “revived” it not only with hills, but also with constant companions of industrial progress – enterprises with smoking pipes, and the bright, unreal elements of the jockeys’ clothes began to contrastingly contrast with the leaden sky.

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