“Race Horses at Longchamp” is an artwork by Edgar Degas, rendered in oil on canvas between 1871 and 1874. As an exemplar of the Impressionist movement, this genre painting measures 34 cm by 41.9 cm and is currently housed in the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in Boston, Massachusetts, United States.
The artwork depicts a scene of racehorses with their riders at the renowned Longchamp racecourse. The composition captures a sense of both motion and calm, with the horses portrayed in various strides and angles, creating a dynamic visual field. The riders are dressed in colorful racing silks which stand out against the more subdued tones of the landscape. Degas’ brushwork portrays the grass of the racecourse with palpable texture, and the distant landscape fades into a soft, hazy background, conveying the atmosphere of the setting. The overall impression is one of fleeting movement, a hallmark of Degas’ interest in capturing moments of modern life as well as the visual effects of light and color, true to the ethos of the Impressionist movement.
