The Races

Instead of a traditional side view of the race, Édouard Manet presents a radically foreshortened frontal view. We feel as though we are standing on the track, facing the fast-approaching horses. Details are downplayed in favor of expressive lines and contrasts of shading. Manet’s vigorous, almost manic drawing style and unconventional treatment aroused the hostility of critics. But today this image of Paris’s fashionable Longchamp racecourse is regarded as one of the earliest expressions of modern printmaking.