.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
For Marini, the horse and rider symbolized the primeval, mythical harmony of man and nature, and through the use of emphatically modern materials, he sought to update a classical theme in the guise of a contemporary subject. Marini produced his first equestrian work in 1936 after a trip to Germany, where he saw the medieval sculpture of the knight on horseback at the Bamberg Cathedral. There he was inspired to appropriate the horse, a classical symbol of power, as the vehicle to reflect his meditations on the state of the world. The relationship of horse and rider in these works can also be understood in Jungian terms, as man harnessing and controlling his erotic instincts, the horse as a symbol of man's animal component. As Herbert Read describes, "The taming of the wild horse marked a definite stage in the evolution of human civilization. But such symbolism apart, the horse, by its animal form... is in itself a thing of beauty that naturally appeals to the artist... Marini, in selecting this animal as a subject, is showing a predilection as old as art itself. It is all the more amazing, therefore, that he should have given a new treatment to the subject" (op. cit., p. 12).
In 1940, Marini's horse and rider theme became more simplified and archaic in spirit, the proportions squatter and less graceful for each. By the end of the 1940s we witness the horse planted immobile with its neck extended, strained, ears pinned back, and mouth open--the charged strength affirming the animal's sexual potency. Later, the rider becomes increasingly oblivious of his mount, involved in his own thoughts, and eventually, after the Second World War, the rider even topples from his horse as he falls to the ground in an apocalyptic image of lost control. This final metamorphosis is directly linked to the artist's observation of Italian peasants on frightened horses fleeing bombardment during the war. Marini has described the equestrian works of this time as a result of Italy's tragic devastation during the war. Indeed, these images of anguished horses throwing their riders off in fury parallel Marini's feelings of despair and uncertainty about the future of the world.
The present work masterfully illustrates a dramatic sense of tension, as the horse stands rigid, ears splayed, exposing large teeth and wild eyes. The horse has twisted its head to confront the rider on its back, and the rider, as he leans away from the animal's snarl, has been caught in a precarious instant, on the verge of losing control. The unbalanced composition combines with Marini's masterful use of color, representing the rider with just a diagonal slash of red and orange, to create a striking image which eloquently conveys the sense of unease felt by the artist at this moment in history.
The first recorded owners of the present painting are Mr. and Mrs. Werner E. Josten of New York, great patrons and supporters of the arts in the 1950s. Among the paintings they collected were major works by Claude Monet, Paul Gauguin, Maurice de Vlaminck and André Derain. Henri-Edmond Cross's Plage à Cabasson (Baigne-Cul), now at the Art Institute of Chicago, is one of the highlights of their collection. Masterworks from their collection donated to the Museum of Modern Art in the 1950s and 1960s include paintings by Odilon Redon, Emil Nolde and Pablo Picasso.
In 1940, Marini's horse and rider theme became more simplified and archaic in spirit, the proportions squatter and less graceful for each. By the end of the 1940s we witness the horse planted immobile with its neck extended, strained, ears pinned back, and mouth open--the charged strength affirming the animal's sexual potency. Later, the rider becomes increasingly oblivious of his mount, involved in his own thoughts, and eventually, after the Second World War, the rider even topples from his horse as he falls to the ground in an apocalyptic image of lost control. This final metamorphosis is directly linked to the artist's observation of Italian peasants on frightened horses fleeing bombardment during the war. Marini has described the equestrian works of this time as a result of Italy's tragic devastation during the war. Indeed, these images of anguished horses throwing their riders off in fury parallel Marini's feelings of despair and uncertainty about the future of the world.
The present work masterfully illustrates a dramatic sense of tension, as the horse stands rigid, ears splayed, exposing large teeth and wild eyes. The horse has twisted its head to confront the rider on its back, and the rider, as he leans away from the animal's snarl, has been caught in a precarious instant, on the verge of losing control. The unbalanced composition combines with Marini's masterful use of color, representing the rider with just a diagonal slash of red and orange, to create a striking image which eloquently conveys the sense of unease felt by the artist at this moment in history.
The first recorded owners of the present painting are Mr. and Mrs. Werner E. Josten of New York, great patrons and supporters of the arts in the 1950s. Among the paintings they collected were major works by Claude Monet, Paul Gauguin, Maurice de Vlaminck and André Derain. Henri-Edmond Cross's Plage à Cabasson (Baigne-Cul), now at the Art Institute of Chicago, is one of the highlights of their collection. Masterworks from their collection donated to the Museum of Modern Art in the 1950s and 1960s include paintings by Odilon Redon, Emil Nolde and Pablo Picasso.