The Epsom Derby
by GÉRICAULT, Théodore, Oil on canvas, 92 x 122 cm
Painted in 1821, during G�ricault’s stay in London, the canvas takes its inspiration from English sporting prints, which frequently depict horses at the ‘flying gallop’ shown by the painter here. The invention of photography, by allowing the various movements of a galloping animal to be analysed, would allow it to be painted accurately, as Degas was to do in his Race-course paintings.