The Racehorse (after Manet)

The narrow format and bold outlines of this composition derive from Japanese woodblock prints, which captivated Henri-Charles Guérard in the 1880s. Guérard based his figure of a jockey on horseback on an earlier lithograph by the French artist Édouard Manet, whose print The Races (Les courses), (Mia P.86.28), found fame as an example of modern expression notable for its animated draftsmanship and unconventional treatment of the subject. Guérard married one of Manet’s students, Eva Gonzales, and later assisted in the production of Manet’s prints.