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Before the Race
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Degas returned to the theme of horse and rider time and again throughout his career. Scholars believe that he executed the first version of this composition of four jockeys on horseback in a charcoal and pastel drawing. Several years later, he traced the composition, reversing its orientation to create the highly finished Cleveland pastel. The palette is intensified, the distance between the second and third jockeys is increased, and the foliage along the horizon has been added to suggest a lush spring day.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineBefore the Race, c. 1887–89. Edgar Degas (French, 1834–1917). Pastel with charcoal underdrawing on tracing paper mounted on cardboard; sheet: 57.5 x 65.4 cm (22 5/8 x 25 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of Leonard C. Hanna Jr., 1958.27
