Wild paard 1828

Curator: Here we have Eugène Delacroix's etching "Wild paard," or "Wild Horse," created in 1828. It's currently held at the Rijksmuseum. What springs to mind for you looking at this piece? Editor: Immediate impression? Turbulence. A contained frenzy. It’s like a storm in a teacup, but the teacup is the etching and the storm is this rearing horse. Curator: Precisely. There's that romantic era fascination with raw power, unbridled emotion... Delacroix, a true romantic, loved horses – he saw in them a reflection of untamed spirit. This is early Delacroix; you sense he is just learning to let his hand follow his heart. Editor: Absolutely, you feel the weight and energy compacted into those swirling lines. I am immediately reminded of ancient horse motifs. In Celtic symbology, the horse is connected with battle but also represents longevity, prosperity, and vitality. Curator: Intriguing! And you feel those ancient echoes resonating here? Editor: Without a doubt. Delacroix may not have explicitly intended it, but the image stirs up those deep-seated associations. The chiaroscuro, the way the dark ink bleeds into light, creates an almost primordial scene, pulling the horse out of simple representation and placing it in an almost timeless sphere. Curator: Yes! It's so interesting how an artist's rendering can evoke themes stretching beyond the artist’s personal view or conscious choices. The piece also resonates with personal anxieties – Delacroix's personal diaries refer to nightmares that haunt him. You have to wonder whether the horse, rearing like that, symbolizes any kind of revolt. Editor: And perhaps it symbolizes, too, the universal struggle between order and chaos, the internal battles we all face, mirrored in this creature’s wild display. It serves as a powerful metaphor for any emotion barely contained, writhing, breaking free from any assumed confinement. Curator: Well said. For me, it is an etching about artistic passion and self discovery, but viewed through a kaleidoscope that reveals greater truths. Editor: For me, this powerful little image echoes so many universal patterns and primordial signs; it’s like catching a glimpse of collective unconscious through art.