Before the Start by Degas

This large panoramic oil painting by the realist artist Degas Edgar presents a very dynamic group of riders under the temporary title “Before the Start”. Part of the impressionist movement, this work stands out for its exceptional lengthwise format which is highly reminiscent of a classical frieze while treating a truly modern subject. The artist is particularly interested in the natural choreography of racehorses.

A line of eight jockeys and their mounts is organized along a light-colored wooden barrier in the foreground of the racetrack. The bay and chestnut horses adopt various attitudes, one of them rearing energetically on the left, breaking the regularity of the line with strength. The focused riders wear their silk jackets in warm shades of red, brown, white, and yellow ocher. In the background, a hilly and bare landscape under an ocher and dusty sky gives a very timeless and almost desert-like atmosphere to this scene. The warm and natural late-afternoon light beautifully sculpts the volumes of the bodies.

The painter displays remarkable expertise by adapting his composition to this extremely stretched frieze format. His fine and precise touch accurately captures the spirited leap of the rearing horse and the concentrated attitude of the jockeys controlling their nervous beasts.