Morning Ride
ca. 1866
Before Degas became famous for his pastel ballerinas, he was obsessed with horses and spent hours sketching at the racetrack. In this moody scene, a group of riders traverses a grassy field, their figures rendered in loose, ghostly strokes against a heavy, golden-brown sky. You can just make out the masts of ships in the harbor behind them, suggesting a coastal setting like Normandy. It’s a great example of his early experimentation with light, capturing a fleeting, hazy moment before the full brightness of day arrives.
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