S2 • E4 Jul 25, 2003
George Stubbs is the greatest painter of horses who ever lived, but so much more than that - a man who literally dissected his subject before he felt able to paint it. But Stubbs was no dispassionate observer instead he brought a weight of feeling to his work that sometimes makes the spine tingle. Stubbs’ great triumph is Whistlejacket, a portrait of a horse without a background that concentrates the eye on the beautifully observed body of the greatest racehorse of the day. Tim Marlow also looks at Stubbs’ lesser known masterpieces, such as his striking depiction of the racehorse, Hambletonian.
