1791 -1824 · French romanticism, racing, stable and body energy

In Géricault, the horse is pure tension: running, stable, battle, anatomy and accident give the animal an almost heroic intensity.

Théodore Géricault maintains a decisive relationship with horses. Even before Le Radeau de la Méduse, he studied riders, races, stables, post horses and equine anatomy with exceptional ardor. His painting of horses brings together emerging romanticism and very physical observation: the animal body is powerful, nervous, sometimes injured, often launched into a movement that goes beyond the simple sporting scene. His stay in England reinforces his interest in racing and equestrian lithographs; his stay in England reinforced his interest in racing and equestrian lithographs; his anatomical studies and his models of skinned horses also reveal an almost scientific curiosity. In Géricault's works, the horse is rarely decorative. He condense speed, danger, fatigue, muscular beauty and destiny. A successful reproduction must respect the vigor of the design, the dark contrasts, the direction of movement and the material of the coat. The "Horses of Théodore Géricault" selection notably compares The Derby of 1821 in Epsom and Horse frightened by the storm. His reading favors the story.

Géricault's horse does not illustrate the movement: it provokes it, stretches it and sometimes breaks it.