Hoefsmid aan het werk

About this artwork

**Hoefsmid aan het werk (rier at Work), Théodore Géricault,1823** Step into the gritty world of Théodore Géricault'sHoefsmid aan het werk*, a vivid lithograph capturing the raw intensity of a farrier's workshop. Dated 1823, this intimate scene (204 × 253 mm) depicts dimly lit barn filled with horses, where a sturdy assistant grips a horse's hind hoof steady while the blacksmith presses glowing hot iron against it to shape the shoe. Géricault, the French Romantic master behind the monumental *Raft of the Medusa* (1819), infused everyday labor with dramatic tension, highlighting the muscular forms and smoky atmosphere that defined his fascination with horses and human struggle. As one of Géricault's final works before his untimely death in 1824 at age 32, this piece showcases lithography—a revolutionary printing technique he embraced in his later years. Invented just decades earlier, lithography allowed artists like Géricault to draw directly on stone with greasy crayon, producing rich tonal gradations and fluid lines that mimicked charcoal sketches. Part of his series on farriers, it reflects Romanticism's celebration of the sublime in ordinary life, blending realism with emotional power. This print not only preserves a vanishing equestrian craft but also reveals Géricault's innovative spirit, bridging fine art and accessible reproduction for a wider audience. A testament to 19th-century industrial grit!