Le Jockey. 1899

Artist: HENRI DE TOULOUSE-LAUTREC (1864-1901) Size: 14 1/4 x 20 1/8 in./26 x 51.2 cm H. Stern (not shown) "In Paris from the autumn of 1899 to the summer of 1900, Henry . . . seemed to live his former existence, making paintings and prints and maintaining contact with friends . . . In some ways he seemed more willing to live conventionally than he had before. He returned to his childhood interest in horses and the race track, having driven himself regularly to Chantilly, the Bois and Longchamps to watch horses. The works he did now maintained the fine-lined, almost drawing-like quality of his painting" (Frey, p 480). And though "The Jockey" and three other lithographs were created with the intention of publishing a portfolio of horse racing subjects for the print dealer Pierrefort, this was the only one of the four ever realized as a print. Although lacking the glamour of Lautrec's circus and cabaret images, this is one of his finest prints, conveying the raw energy and speed present on the track. You can almost feel the weight of the hooves as they hit the turf, hear the harsh breath of the animal as it gallops by on this overcast, cold morning.

A/ P. Framed.