Studieblad met paarden 1881 - 1883

This sketch of horses was made by George Hendrik Breitner using graphite on paper. The horse, a symbol of vitality, virility, and power, gallops through history, appearing in the Paleolithic cave paintings of Lascaux and Chauvet. In ancient Greece, we see its use in friezes as a symbol of wealth and status. As a cultural motif, the horse transcends time, yet its meaning has been mutable. We see it pulling the chariots of gods and emperors, bearing witness to countless wars, and eventually transitioning to a symbol of leisure. Notice the kinetic energy in Breitner’s sketch. In psychoanalytic terms, one might read into the vigorous, energetic lines of the horse, a symbol of untamed life force, Eros, as it were. Even though the image is unfinished, its spirit is undeniable. It reflects the dynamic, restless human spirit. Indeed, the echoes of the horse as a cultural symbol resonate through art history, reminding us of the non-linear, cyclical progression of symbols, perpetually resurfacing and evolving.