The National Gallery in London is hosting an exhibition titled "Stubbs: Portrait of a Horse," focusing on the 18th-century artist George Stubbs and his masterful equine paintings. The show features studies, drawings, and key works like "Whistlejacket" (c. 1762) and "Scrub" (c. 1762), highlighting Stubbs's unique anatomical knowledge gained from dissecting horses.
The exhibition matters because it reframes Stubbs's riderless horses, particularly "Whistlejacket," as powerful, independent subjects rather than mere vehicles for human riders. This challenges the tradition of equestrian statues celebrating military and political figures, offering a commentary on power, servitude, and the animal's intrinsic majesty. The show provides a deep dive into an artist who combined scientific rigor with artistic bravura to bring his subjects to life.