Jockeys at Epsom

Edgar Degas painted the racing scenes at both French and English tracks. Epsom Downs in England hosted one of the world's most famous horse races, the Derby, attracting crowds and artists alike. Degas captured the atmosphere of the racing world without always specifying exact locations. His interest lay in movement, color, and the relationship between rider and horse.

The artist stepped up his production of racing subjects in the 1880s. He worked from direct observation, photographs, and his own imagination, combining these sources freely. A single composition might include horses studied at Longchamp, poses borrowed from Renaissance masters, and backgrounds invented in the studio. This approach gave his work both authenticity and artistic freedom.

Degas explored similar subjects in sculpture, modeling horses in wax to study their movement in three dimensions. These experiments informed his paintings. The Art Institute of Chicago displays this work alongside other Impressionist paintings in their collection.