Art History Videos

 Image - Study for the Sforza Monument, c. 1488-9  Leonardo da Vinci

A work in perpetual progress.

This lens begins with a video about horses. What does that have to do with art one may ask.

To begin, horses are the most depicted animal in art, literature, motion pictures, music and television.

The first motion picture was created by Eadweard Muybridge of Leland Stanford's horse, Occident, in 1872 to attempt an answer to the long-asked question of whether all the feet are off the ground at the same time. The answer was yes. Not only were all four hooves above ground, the legs were discovered to be bunched under the belly during the gallop. That's not all, the paper film showed the horse never had it's legs splayed like a rocking horse. The art world was rocked by this revelation and depictions of the horse in art were forever changed.

But that's not the attraction of horses for artists. While we no longer use horses as war machines nor do most people see horses as part of the landscape on a daily basis, horses remain a favorite subject for many artists. Indeed, it is rare to find an artist without a horse in their catalog of work, even those that have never touched or ridden one.   So, what is the attraction?

The horses' unique history is long, varied and paralleled only by its anatomy.  With characteristics particular to the species,  equidae is the only single-hooved animal. They have the largest eye in proportion to their size of any land mammal, allowing them a vision of nearly 350 degrees, gracing them with a soft and kind face. Only horses have a flowing mane and a tail that grows hair many times its length.

Finally, with a perfect combination of angles and curves, the horse is a delight to the eye.  ...to be continued...

Thanks for stopping by. Come back often to savor these videos and see what I have added.

Many of these videos are accompanied by music.