Rearing Horse with a Rider
Study of a plunging horse mounted by a nude figure
Drawn in reddish ink over chalk, the sheet shows a horse rearing violently to the right, its head thrown up and back and its forelegs raised off the ground. A rider, sketched more lightly, sits on its back and twists with the animal's motion. Vigorous parallel hatching swells the muscles of the chest and haunches, while loose trailing lines suggest a streaming mane and tail; no text accompanies the drawing.
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Horse rearing in violent motion
The powerful body of the horse fills the sheet, caught at the height of a rear with weight thrown onto the hind legs. The arched neck, flaring nostrils and heavily hatched musculature convey energy and strain, the trailing tail and mane reinforcing the sense of movement.
Rider on the horse's back
A lightly indicated figure is seated on the plunging horse, the body bent and turned as it rides the animal's motion. The rider is drawn summarily, subordinate to the study of the horse itself.