Before the Race by Degas

This vibrant pastel on paper by the impressionist artist Degas Edgar beautifully illustrates the exciting world of horse racing under the temporary title “Before the Race”. The work strongly expresses the artist’s fascination with athletic horses and jockeys in the midst of nature. Degas Edgar thus focuses on restoring the spontaneity of postures and the light intensity of a beautiful outdoor day.

Four jockeys mounted on their proud steeds are arranged asymmetrically on a bright meadow-green lawn of the racetrack. The jockey in the left foreground wears a blue and ocher jacket, while his companions sport red, yellow, and orange jackets that shine in the sun. The bay and chestnut horses are depicted in various movements of walking and nervous trampling before the race. In the background, deep green trees stand out against a beautiful azure blue sky dotted with light, fluffy white clouds. The very bright and warm summer sunlight intensely illuminates the animals’ flanks, making all the colors vibrate vividly.

The artist’s mastery of pastel is exceptional here, characterized by dense, overlapping hatching that gives a vibrant texture to the medium. His ability to render the muscular tension of the horses and the fluid movement of the riders is remarkable.