The artwork titled “Jockey in Blue on a Chestnut Horse” was created by the celebrated artist Edgar Degas around 1889. This piece is executed in oil on panel and is associated with the Impressionism movement. Classified as genre painting, it is part of the collection at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts located in Richmond, VA, United States.
Depicting a scene from the world of horse racing, a subject Degas was fond of exploring, the painting features a jockey dressed in blue attire riding a chestnut horse. The figure is positioned off-center towards the right, and the horse is captured in mid-stride, conveying a sense of movement. The background is rendered with loose brushstrokes, indicative of the Impressionist style, with the atmosphere of the race track suggested rather than intricately detailed. The open space and the use of light and color contribute to an impression of a fleeting moment, quintessential to Degas’s approach to art.
