Degas at the Races: Sculpture

Horse Balking (Horse Clearing an Obstacle), 1880s, yellow wax, Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon, Upperville, Virginia previous next back to sculpture

Degas' wax horses were given titles after he died, just as bronzes of them were cast after his death. Originally, this piece, dated to the 1880s, was called Horse Clearing an Obstacle. When the work is examined from different angles both titles are justified, for Degas combined a variety of directional movements that operate to express dynamic action rather than exactitude. The front legs of this horse are positioned as if to jump a hurdle, perhaps in a steeplechase. But its back legs are spread as if bracing to rear up. Compare the wax to At the Races: Before the Start, a painting in which the horses are supposed to be getting in the lineup, ready to start the race, but either they are angry or annoyed, or their jockey has pulled too hard on their reins. One horse is raised on its hind legs, as is the one in the sculpture. Indeed, in the 1870s and 1880s, Degas' paintings, pastels, and sculpture moved increasingly from a static, labor-intensive manner to a style possessed of movement and fluidity.