Circus Riders
Hilaire Germaine Edgar Degas
(1834 - 1917)
Degas couldn't go to the circus and just enjoy the performers.
He had to sketch them during the performance and then rush back
to the studio to transfer what he had seen--and recorded--to canvas. This work is unusual as it shows two horses performing but is unusual in another aspect.
The artist failed to get the riders' feet connected to the backs of the horses; the
riders seem to float in the air like puppets on a string.
