The artwork titled “The False Start” was painted by Edgar Degas circa 1869-1870. This work of art falls under the Impressionist movement and is considered a genre painting. It was created using oil on panel and is currently located at the Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven, Connecticut, United States.
The painting depicts a scene at a horse race, capturing a moment of unexpected action. In the foreground, a jockey is seen mounted on a horse that appears to have bolted or made a ‘false start’, thus giving the artwork its title. Other horses and riders are gathering in the background, with a group of spectators in a stand to the left of the scene. The composition conveys a sense of immediate movement and spontaneity, characteristic of the Impressionist style. Degas’s use of brushwork and color emphasizes the liveliness of the event and the social atmosphere of the race track. The light and shadow create a dynamic contrast that draws the viewer’s eye across the canvas, and the feeling of an incomplete, candid moment is typical of Degas’s approach to capturing scenes of contemporary life.
