Edgar Degas (1834–1917)
Man Riding, c. 1875–77
Brush and black essence with additions in brown and white gouache and white chalk on oiled brown wove paper
9 11/16 x 13 1/2 in. (24.6 x 34.3 cm)
Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, Massachusetts, 1955.1400
Here a trainer or groom in his typical garb of jacket and bowler hat leans forward on his horse in a galloping position. Degas applied oil to the paper to enrich its tone and create a smooth surface, on which he applied essence — thinned oil paint — with rapid movements of the brush.