Horse Wearing a Blanket 1818 - 1819

Théodore Géricault sketched this horse wearing a blanket in graphite on paper, and it is now held at the Art Institute of Chicago. Here, the horse—a noble symbol of power and virility—is domesticated, draped in a blanket, perhaps to shield it from harsh weather. This covering, this act of sheltering, echoes across time. Consider the protective cloaks of medieval Madonnas, shielding humanity, or the humble swaddling clothes of the infant Christ. The blanket here speaks to a primal human need: protection against the elements, control over nature. Think of the cave paintings at Lascaux, where early humans captured the essence of the horse, a symbol of wild, untamed power. Géricault tames this power, clothing it, bringing it under control. The image of the horse, once a symbol of freedom, is now bound by human needs, a potent reminder of our complex relationship with the natural world, a cycle of reverence and domination.