Fallen Jockey (study for "Scene from the Steeplechase: The Fallen Jockey")
c. 1866
Medium
graphite on blue paper
Dimensions
overall: 26 x 34.3 cm (10 1/4 x 13 1/2 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Collection of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Mellon
Accession Number
1999.79.6
Art Historical Context
In the mid-1860s, Edgar Degas captured the raw drama of horse racing in *Fallen Jockey*, preparatory drawing for his ambitious painting *Scene from the Steeplechase: The Fallen Jockey*. At this early stage of his career, Degas fascinated by modern life in Paris, particularly the excitement of the racetrack, where jockeys and thoroughbreds embodied speed, tension, and human vulnerability. This graphite study on blue paper, measuring just 26 x 34.3 cm, reveals his keen eye for anatomy and movement, sketching a tumbled jockey amid the chaos of a steeplechase fall. Degas's use of graphite on tone...
About the Artist
Edgar Degas · 1834–1917
Edgar Degas (1834-1917) stands as one of the most innovative artists of the nineteenth century, whose distinctive vision transformed how modern life could be depicted on canvas. Born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas in Paris to a wealthy banking family—his father French, his mother a Louisiana Creole from New Orleans—Degas received a classical education before abandoning law studies in 1855 to pursue ...