Tuesday, February 24, 2009

George Stubbs


I saw my first Stubbs paintings at the Yale Museum of Art in New Haven, CT. I could've sat in that huge room for hours, staring at the magnificent renderings of horses and other animals created by this amazing artist. This one is positively frightening--you feel the lion's teeth ripping into your shoulder just as the horse would.

Stubbs was an 18th century artist who did for horses what Leonardo da Vinci did for the human body--he analyzed equine anatomy through dissection. He had a gruesome reputation for studying cadavers, including the bodies of dead children. But his 1766 book The Anatomy of the Horse is as realistic and useful as a set of xrays. John Lienhard at the University of Houston has a nice write-up on Stubbs and his methods here.

Many of the classic animal paintings we're familiar with these days are by Stubbs, like the zebra print I bought for my daughter's room without realizing who'd painted it. Gift boxes, coasters, and place mats with beautiful horses on them often turn out to be Stubbs' work. You're probably familiar with this talented artist without knowing who he is.

At least, you were. Now you know!

Cheryl

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