JUST HORSING AROUND

    A confession: I was one of those girls who loved horses. I think it began when my parents would stop at the local pony ride ring and treat me to a few laps on a fat pony who usually seemed bored out of his or her mind. As time went on, this horse obsession led me to purchase a book called, "How to Draw Horses" by Walter T. Foster (who authored a whole series of books about how to draw practically everything). With this book I did indeed figure out how to draw horses, and as a bonus I learned the essential concepts of drawing.

    Although I did plenty of horseback riding in my teen years, I never did become a horse owner. But I have never lost the artistic admiration for the equine form, such as this magnificent bronze by Leonardo da Vinci, "Gran Cavallo", cast in 1495.

    The image of the horse can be seen in the pre-historic caves of Lascaux in France, although at that time, over 17,000 years ago, horses were seen as prey.

    It is generally thought that horses were first domesticated in the Eurasian Steppes, probably 6,000 years ago. This changed the course of civilizations, enabling travel and warfare as never before, as well as aiding in farming and hauling.

    The ancients of Arabia carved this dynamic rock art, and the Assyrians of 5,000-2,000 B.C. honored the horse in this exquisite relief.

    The ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece, Rome, and China all included artworks of the horse as an important power symbol in their societies.

    Any historical warrior looks more impressive astride a great steed, as seen in this wonderful 176 A.D. bronze statue of Roman Marcus Aurelius.

    The Italian artist Donatello revived the equestrian statue tradition of the ancients in 1453 with this bronze of Erasmo da Narni, or Gattamelata.

    One of my favorite artists, Frenchman Jacques-Louis David, in 1800 painted this famous work, "Napoleon Crossing the Alps".

    Opposing U.S. Civil War generals, Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee, were immortalized in both sculpture and photography with their horses. Lee's horse, Traveller, became popular in his own right.

    Gambling upon racing horses has always been a pastime of those with money to spare. Edgar Degas painted this group getting ready to cross country race in 1873.

 



    Our country's western expansion in the latter half of the 19th century could not have happened without the use of horses, as in this photograph of a family traveling by covered wagon. Painter Frank Tenney depicted pack horses that enabled those hopeful prospectors and trappers in the Black Hills, the Rockies, and in California. Frederick Remington portrayed this era in a style that was refreshingly not idealized, including these paintings of a cavalryman, and Indian scout, and a cow pony.

    For a while mechanization and horses shared roles in transportation, as shown in these images of horses pulling trolleys, and pulling automobiles out of the mud, as painted by Tom Fritz. Our hooved friends pulled elegant carriages, and transported people through bustling downtowns, as in this 1889 photo of 4th Street in Santa Rosa.

    During World War I, horses were sacrificed in battle in the hundreds of thousands even though war was becoming mechanized. This poster reflects those concerns during that horrific situation. The photo was taken in France. 1918's painting, "Charge of Flowerdew's Squadron", was done by Alfred Munnings.

    The days of monumental equestrian sculptures are not over. 2008 brought Mongolia an impressive 130 foot sculpture of Genghis Kahn.

    Contemporary artist Deborah Butterfield has made a name in the art world with her large and unusual sculptures of horses. This 2009 example looks as if it were made of large branches, but is in fact a bronze casting. Photorealist painter Richard McLean gives us this snapshot of the horse show world in his 1980 "Satin Doll".

    Local artist Amity De Fontaine of Sebastopol gives us this "Knight's Horse", and Marin's Paul Miller has done this lovely depiction of "Buck the Morgan Horse".

    Although the original North American horses disappeared from the continent around 12,000 years ago, they were reintroduced when they arrived with the European explorers. In a few places today in America, horses are left to live wild. Photographer Robert Dutesco gives us a look at some of them in his "Wild Horses of Sable Island". Human civilization will always owe a debt to the horses who have partnered with us through the ages.