Cavalier de chasse à courre ressanglant son cheval 1880

Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec made this oil on board, Cavalier de chasse à courre ressanglant son cheval, that translates to something like 'rider hunting, bleeding his horse', during the late nineteenth century in France. The artist brings together the social rituals of aristocratic life with a modern, impressionistic style. The rider, dressed in scarlet, is tending to his horse, a scene evoking both the prestige and the brutality of the hunt. In France at this time, hunting was a deeply classed activity so Lautrec may be critiquing its social conventions. The loose brushwork and earthy tones are very impressionistic, and this captures a fleeting moment of action and exhaustion. It avoids idealising the scene or glorifying the hunter. By exploring the visual culture of hunting, we can understand the social hierarchies and cultural values of the time. Journals, estate records and popular fiction can shed light on the norms challenged or reinforced here. By reading into these sources, we learn so much about the artist’s world.