Artwork
Before the Start
Before the Start is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Edgar Degas. It dates from 1890 and is held in the collection of the Foundation E.G. Bührle Collection.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1890, this oil on canvas by Edgar Degas portrays a moment on a racetrack, focusing on a group of jockeys and their horses as they surge forward. The composition captures the immediacy of the competition, with the figures positioned prominently in the foreground against a distant, gently rolling landscape. The work is part of the collection of the Kunsthaus Zürich.
Subject & Meaning
Degas chose the spectacle of horse racing to explore themes of speed, tension and collective anticipation. The jockeys, rendered in vivid attire, and the brown horses convey the physical exertion of the sport, while the expansive field beyond suggests the broader context of the event and the fleeting nature of the moment captured.
Technique & Style
The artist employs a warm palette, using reds, ochres and earthy tones to heighten the sense of urgency. Brushwork is loose yet deliberate, giving texture to the horses’ musculature and the jockeys’ garments. The handling of light and shadow, combined with rapid, gestural strokes, reinforces the painting’s kinetic energy.
History & Provenance
After its completion in the late nineteenth century, Degas’s racing scene entered the European art market and was eventually acquired by the Kunsthaus Zürich, where it remains on display. Its presence in the museum’s holdings reflects the institution’s commitment to representing Degas’s diverse subject matter beyond his more famous ballet studies.
Artist & collection
Artist
Born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas on 19 July 1834 in Paris, Edgar Degas came from an affluent banking family with aristocratic roots and spent his childhood among the cultivated circles of the French capital.
