Horse head 1812 - 1814

Théodore Géricault made this drawing of a horse’s head with graphite on paper, sometime in the early 19th century. Géricault’s art captured the turbulent spirit of post-revolutionary France. This seemingly simple sketch can tell us a lot about the cultural position of the horse in French society at that time. Horses were not merely beasts of burden; they were symbols of power, status, and military might. Equestrian portraits of royalty and the aristocracy had long been a staple of European art. But as the old social order crumbled, artists like Géricault began to explore new ways of representing the animal. They used the horse as a vehicle to express themes of heroism, struggle, and the raw energy of nature. By studying the drawings and paintings of Géricault, alongside historical documents, military records, and popular imagery, we can better understand the complex relationship between humans and animals in 19th-century France. Art is always a product of its time and place.