Man passeert te paard 1823 - 1873

Célestin Nanteuil created this print called 'Man passeert te paard', but we are unsure exactly when. Looking at the lone rider, we can see how the social and political turbulence of 19th-century France informed Nanteuil’s imagination. The composition, steeped in Romanticism, wrestles with themes of man versus nature. The wild eyed horse, guided by an older rider, pushes through a dark landscape of snarling dogs and frightened men. Is this a depiction of power, or is it of fear? The horse is spooked, and it brings into question the rider's control. Nanteuil plays with traditional archetypes of masculine authority, painting instead a picture of a shifting social order and questions the ability to maintain control.