A Horse, a HORSE - My Kingdom...
Botero and my horses
Fernando Botero: Horse
Fernando Botero, the Colombian painter, is responsible for the horse above. There is an exhibition of his work at the moment in Barcelona. As I was walking from painting to painting, I came to stand in front of this fantastic horse. I had never seen it before. It is huge, it is beautiful and speaks to the long bond between humans and their horses. As I stood there looking at this lovely painting, I had a vivid memory of making the photograph below. The colour of the mane and tail may be different, but aside from that the pose is pretty similar, if I should say so myself. That got me thinking….
Lille, 2012 - perhaps the model for Botero’s horse?
Humans and horses have been together for a very long time. Depending on your source, anywhere from 4500 BC to more than 10000 BC, there were horses and humans working together. To carry and transport, work the land, go to war. For millennia the two have been inseparable. It is no wonder that I have a few photographs of horses!
Vienna, 2017
Walking back to my hotel, I dropped into a bookshop. And there. At the top of the somewhat random pile was a new book by Jane Evelyn Atwood. The book was called simply ‘Horses’. I picked it up and leafed through it. To be honest, I did not think much of this book. I left it where I found it. But, there is a message here….
Copenhagen, 2012
I admit it, I am a dog person. But I think I am a closet horse person too. If I had the space for a horse, and the time to commit to being with it every day, I would have a horse. I would spend time with it in the barn. I would ride along country lanes and across open fields. See the trees from the corner of my eye, as I move along the forest path. It would be wonderful. Instead, I am confined to the dream and the camera.
Prague, 2018
While horses may be a little less essential today, the horse has not changed. The sound of the hoofs, the slowing down of time, that particular smell, and the pure enjoyment of our surroundings at a slower pace. Whether we are in a carriage, or on horseback, it may well be a romantic notion, but equally part of what makes us human. The sharing among species, whether with cats, dogs or horses, is something deep in us. Something that makes us different from virtually all the other species on our small planet.
Yorkshire, 2014
This is my little tribute. I give you horses…..
Many horses!
Salzburg, 2018
Seville, 2017
Blackpool, 2022
Gower, 2023
Vienna, 2016
Lexington, KY, 2017
Munich 2023
Copenhagen, 2009
London, 2022
Blackpool, 2017
West Jutland, 2020
Copenhagen, 2009
All the photographs are made by me. For me.
The exhibition of the paintings and sculptures of Fernando Botero (Medellín, Colombia, 1932 - Mónaco, 2023) is in Barcelona. Details are here:
https://www.palaumartorell.com/es/fernandobotero
Until next time….
This is a great set of images Soren! They are magnificent animals aren't they - I love the big Shire horses or the Suffolk punches, such fabulous working horses...although I've had an aversion to getting on one since I was a kid! :-)
Very engaging story Søren. I have a fondness for horses, dogs and a few others furry creatures. When I think of horse throughout history, the main thing I continue to respond to is the necessity to clean up after them. Stieglitz's horse car terminal, thank goodness it's in black and white. That dirty street is not just a dirty street. Growing up, I always wondered why boots were a necessity before the invention of the automobile. Ta Daaaa! Just some meandering thoughts.
Cheers!