Stubbs & the Horse

Book Description

A versatile genius whose oeuvre includes paintings, engravings, and detailed anatomical studies, George Stubbs (1724–1806) was fascinated by horses. This handsome book presents for the first time the wide range of his equine imagery, from refined portraits of racehorses to violent scenes of horses attacked by lions in the wild.
Taking full account of the associations and status of the “noble horse” in eighteenth-century Britain and the colorful world of its devotees—both high and low—the authors examine Stubbs’s work from different points of view and offer many fresh interpretations. Malcolm Warner discusses how horses were regarded in Britain in Stubbs’s time, the unexpected connection between his horse-and-lion compositions and the creation of the English thoroughbred, and his classicism. Robin Blake examines the young Whig noblemen who were Stubbs’s first patrons, the grooms, jockeys, trainers, and other attendants who appear in his horse portraits, and his curious dealings with the Prince of Wales. The book also includes an essay by conservators Lance Mayer and Gay Myers on Stubbs’s experiments with wax and enamel.
For admirers of Stubbs’s art, eighteenth-century English painting, and horses, this book is an essential addition to their bookshelves.

Customer Reviews:

Awesome!.......2007-01-25

This book is outstanding. The plates are all in color and large enough to see easily. Stubbs anatomical drawings are very detailed. I had been having trouble understanding how horses moved before I saw those drawings. Seeing the skeleton and muscles helped considerably. When I took it to class and showed my professor, she got online and bought one for herself. She draws/paints horses beautifully and owns horses herself.

Reading the background information about George Stubbs and the symbolism used in his paintings was very interesting and educational.

Stubbs & the Horse.......2006-11-11

Excellent purchase. I saw this book in the National Gallery, London having just viewed Whistle Jacket. I wanted it because my own passion lies in painting Horses. The book is full of fascinating information on Stubbs himself, his love of horses and has his excellent illustrations / studies of equine anatomy. A useful and beautiful book filled with his striking paintings.

A BEAUTIFUL VOLUME FOR EQUINE ENTHUSIASTS.......2004-12-01

Although arguably the greatest painter of horses to date, British artist George Stubbs (1724 - 1806) would never imagine the prices his canvases would some day command. Some 40 years ago the late Paul Mellon added to his collection of Stubbs's work with a check for tens of thousands of dollars, today anyone lucky enough to come across an available Stubbs had better have a million to spare. London's National Gallery paid 11 million pounds for a life-sized painting of the thoroughbred "Whistlejacket," a monumental work breathtaking in majesty and beauty.

Those fortunate enough to visit the Fort Worth's Kimbell Art Museum though early February of this year will be able to see not only this incredible piece but the finest works of Stubbs in the first major collection to fully capture his genius as a painter of horses.

Almost as good as being at the Kimbell is leafing through "Stubbs & The Horse," an exquisite 256 page volume holding 200 illustrations. Authors Malcolm Warner and Robin Blake present a comprehensive portrait of Stubbs, as Warner discusses the low regard in which the British held horses in Stubbs's time, the surprising connection the artist's horse-and-lion compositions, and the evolution of the English thoroughbred. Offering a different perspective Blake tells us of the Whig nobles who were Stubbs's initial patrons and offers insights into the inclusion of the grooms, jockeys, trainers and other figures in the artist's paintings.

As Warner notes in his Preface, "The horse was at once the mainstay of Stubbs's success and a problem for his reputation. In his lifetime he attracted much praise for his abilities as a painter of horses.......But this won him little prestige in his profession." In fact. During Stubbs's time British artistic tastes ran to paintings of historical events, myths, the Bible, and allegory. A painter of horses was rather low in popular opinion.

Nonetheless, Stubbs persisted in his study of equine anatomy eventually rendering remarkable ink drawings which presaged his later paintings. He would later take these anatomical drawings to London where they were well received, and resulted in several commissions. Eventually he acquired an enviable reputation as an equestrian painter and earned a comfortable living from equine enthusiasts.

Stubbs lived to the age of 81, and died in 1806. Throughout his life many considered his incredibly beautiful lifelike work to be second class. History has deemed it quite differently.

- Gail Cooke

Average customer rating:

Not what I thought
One of the great horse artists
A Must Have for the Equine Student

Anatomy of the Horse
Stubbs George Staff
Manufacturer: Pallas Athene
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Anatomy | Biological Sciences | Science | Subjects | Books

General | Science | Subjects | Books

Equine Medicine | Veterinary Medicine | Medicine | Subjects | Books

General | Veterinary Medicine | Medicine | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 1843680033

Book Description

George Stubbs was one of Britain’s most innovative artists. Such is the present reputation of his paintings, with their astonishingly convincing renderings of both animals and people, that it is easy to forget how much of his success was based on rigorous scientific observation. In 1756, Stubbs rented a remote farmhouse, where he erected a scaffolding to hold the cadavers of horses as he dissected and drew them. After 18 months of single-minded dedication, Stubbs produced the drawings for The Anatomy of the Horse, which he later etched himself. The result was a sensation. Letters of congratulation poured in from scientists all over Europe, amazed not only at the perfection of the finished work, but that it had been produced without patronage. It remained a textbook for artists and scientists for well over a century, and to this day, the strange, spare beauty of these prints continue to fascinate.

Customer Reviews:

Not what I thought.......2007-02-04

This is an interesting book and the drawings are lovely. However, you don't know what you are looking at since the explanation plates are way way too tiny to read. You'd have to take the pages and blow them up to read what is drawn. Instead of 4 plates to a page how about each plate to a page. Don't buy if you are trying learn about the horse because you can't read the tiny tiny print.

One of the great horse artists.......2007-01-24

George Stubbs is considered one of the all time great sports artists. Although he focused predominantly on horses, study of his work reveals that his talents were diverse and impressive. It was fairly unique in his time to do detailed anatomical studies, and George Stubbs was somewhat of a pioneer in that field. He even rigged up a special apparatus to hold the horse carcass in life-like poses as he dissected and sketched. I have an older edition of this book, and it's so used and loved that the pages are falling out!

I've been a student and follower of George Stubbs since childhood ... partly because I've always been a "horse-crazy kid", and partly because I'm actually a descendant of the artist. I had the honor of viewing a marvelous display of his original works at Yale University's art museum many years ago. Seeing the artwork in person made me appreciate his talents even more.

By purchasing and studying this book, you are not only reviewing a very accurate rendering of the anatomy of the horse, you are holding a significant piece of both art and biological history in your hands.

Don't hesitate if you're considering a purchase. You won't regret it.

A Must Have for the Equine Student.......2000-06-26

I found that the book was very well written and was jamed packed with need to know information. It provided me with the information that I need in my Equine Science class. It had alot of stuff that the text book did not have. I would recommend this book to student that is taking an Equine related class.

Average customer rating:

THE ANATOMY OF THE HORSE
GEORGE STUBBS
Manufacturer: G. HEYWOOD HILL
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000SICBZG

Average customer rating:

THE ANATOMY OF THE HORSE.
George (edit Professor J. C. McCunn & Mr. C. W. Ottaway). Stubbs
Manufacturer: G
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000O8TZHM

Average customer rating:

George Stubbs: Art, animals & anatomy
Constance-Anne Parker
Manufacturer: J.A. Allen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0851313981

Average customer rating:

Horses A Classic Illustrated Treasury
Various
Manufacturer: Chronicle Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000RBR3PW

Average customer rating:

Memoirs of George Stubbs
Humphry Ozias Staff
Manufacturer: Pallas Athene
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Artists, A-Z | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Themes | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Artists, Architects & Photographers | Arts & Literature | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1843680025

Book Description

George Stubbs was one of the most original artists Britain ever produced. His extraordinary dedication to accuracy impelled him to spend 18 solitary months dissecting and drawing horses to make his landmark study, The Anatomy of the Horse. His portraits of people and animals combine an unflinchingly accurate gaze with profound psychological truth, yet he also created some of the most lyrical paintings of the age. Ozias Humphry, a colleague of Stubbs, recorded his many conversations with the painter, and the resulting manuscript became the basis for this present book.

Average customer rating:

Mr Stubbs the horse painter
Constance-Anne Parker
Manufacturer: J. A. Allen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

General | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0851311237

Sketch of the History of 'f' Battery Royal Horse Artillery

Average customer rating:

Sketch of the History of 'f' Battery Royal Horse Artillery
F. W. Stubbs , and A. S. Tyndale-biscoe
Manufacturer: Naval & Military Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Military | History | Subjects | Books

Regiments | Military | History | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1845740467

Average customer rating:

Anatomy of the Horse
George Stubbs
Manufacturer: PALLAS ATHENE PUBLIS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000K2THZW

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