At the Races. the Start 1862

Curator: Here we have Edgar Degas’ “At the Races, the Start,” painted in 1862. It resides here at the Fogg Museum, part of the Harvard Art Museums. You see examples of oil paint here, and its overall style clearly draws from impressionism, marking a key transition in the history of art and its reflection of modern life. Editor: Ooh, the energy crackles right off the canvas! I can practically smell the hay and the nervous sweat of those magnificent animals. And the sky, that churning grey, promises either exhilarating drama or a torrential downpour! Curator: The context of 1860s France is key here. Horse racing was ascending in popularity among the upper classes; venues became a social playground, offering visibility and power dynamics. Degas captures this perfectly by placing the horses and spectators in a tight dynamic, emphasizing their collective gaze. Editor: You know, the funny thing is, with all those tiny figures in the background, it almost feels like he’s painting the air around the event, like capturing the feeling of being there is more important than photo-realistic details of some people's hats. Did Degas get motion sickness painting this? I kind of do, looking at it! Curator: Degas’ unusual composition reflects his rejection of academic conventions and classical history themes. Instead, he was deeply committed to contemporary life and experiences. "At the Races" signifies Degas' engagement with urban leisure, representing both artistic and societal developments of the period. Editor: And isn’t it strange, looking at this from our oh-so-distant present, that he captured something so… fleeting? A split-second before the chaos. It makes me think about time, memory, how slippery they both are, like sand in your hands. Art, in its best moments, gives permanence to those transient moments, freezing a little bit of eternity for us. Curator: It’s also a clever use of light that gives his painting such energy, that balance between careful observation and artistic license made Degas an icon, influencing both impressionism and modernism through themes and subjects within the art world. Editor: And ultimately, even without knowing any of that, one gets a feel for the spectacle, the horses. Their elegant tension. I just want to rub their noses. That, more than all the social commentary, is what keeps my gaze on "At the Races, the Start."