HORSEWOMAN IN THE BOIS DE BOULOGNE
In this, the tenth in my series on equestrian art, I look at
another painting I love. It will be familiar to many, since it was painted by
no lesser personage than Pierre Auguste Renoir (1841-1919). An oil on canvas, it measures
89” x 102¼” (7’5” x 8’6¼”) or 226 x 261 cm and hangs in the Kuntshalle in Hamburg,
Germany.
The portrait, of Renoir’s patron, Madame Darras, was painted
in 1873. Madame, a picture of Victorian equestrian gentility in sober-hued riding
habit, shirt and tie, is looking somewhat stern as she glances down at her
companion, Joseph LeCoeur, on a lively pony. She carries a long whip to replace
the absence of the leg on the offside of the horse. I also suspect she may give
the pony a tap on the shoulder to remind him of his manners should he attempt
to barge in front of her own mount. It is said that when the painting was
presented to the Salon jury of 1873, they threw up their hands in horror
(perhaps not literally) and refused to accept it. The story goes that Monsieur
Darras had foreseen this, saying to Renoir:
“Blue horses! Whoever heard of such a thing?”
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| Horsewoman in the Bois de Boulogne, Renoir Courtesy Wikimedia Commons |
This was before the Impressionist Age had truly begun and
before that appellation had even been coined. Renoir and Monet were still
experimenting with light and colour; this style of painting was quite a shock
to the establishment, so it is hardly surprising the picture met with derision.
However, viewing it with a
modern eye and loving horses as I do, I can appreciate the skill which has
captured the very real blueness that a grey horse’s coat can assume in certain
light conditions and from particular angles as well. A grey horse is born dark,
sometimes close to black, and the skin is very dark beneath the coat. As the
animal ages, the darker hairs (whether ‘dapples’ or merely flecks) lighten until
in extreme age the horse becomes white. The pony is a fine example of a dapple-grey,
while the horse would appear to be a roan (darker hairs intermingled with the
white), although with the tinge of brown on nose and body, it is possible it is
a bay that has been clipped out (had the hair removed from its coat to prevent
excess sweating). Clipped bays can sometimes appear greyish. Frequently, a
dapple-grey will retain his markings on his lower limbs until well into his teens.
One thing I love about the
painting is the sheer joy exhibited by both equines. The pony, in particular,
is raring to go. His ears are pricked, his head is up and his eyes are bright.
He is taking a strong hold on his kind Fulmer snaffle bit, yet his rider is
unperturbed by his eagerness and clearly has just checked him back. The boy
sits well and is eyeing Madame as if to say, “I’m all right. May we gallop, now?”
By contrast, Madame Darras’
horse is the picture of manners and elegance. The head carriage would not look
out of place in a modern dressage arena, while Madame’s hand on the rein is light.
The reins of her double bridle loop; there is no tension between the pair. The
horse also has its ears pricked and is bounding forward in a springy, willing
rhythm. The light catches the gleam of its well-groomed coat and it is
evidently a quality animal which receives the best of care. Madame sits proudly
on her steed, but if the impression she gives is one of aloofness, bear this in
mind. When riding side-saddle, both legs are on the left hand side of the
horse. It is therefore essential that the rider sits centrally and erect in the
saddle or she will lose her balance. Posture is not just preferable, it is a
core requirement of the activity and far more necessary than when riding
astride. Madame is the image of a well turned out, skilled equestrienne.
This portrait encapsulates the
pleasure of riding for its own sake, the enjoyment derived by both horse and
rider when hacking in the countryside. It not only demonstrates the bond
between a horseman (or woman) and their steed, it shows how the role of the
horse was changing. These two beautiful animals (and mistake me not, little
ponies have their own infinite charm!) are not being used for transport, nor
for the chase; they are early examples of the horse as a leisure animal, more
of a pet than a working beast, and as such, social history at its finest.
