The 20th-century English sculptor John Skeaping was a master at depicting horses. Having studied the physiology of animals, he skillfully emphasized different positions, from a light walk to a gallop. One of the sculptor's most famous works is a full-size statue made to his design in honor of Secretariat. The horse set three records during the prestigious races in 1973 and won the Triple Crown. Now this sculpture is installed in the National Museum of Racing in Saratoga Springs (USA).
John Skeaping was born in 1901 to the artist Kenneth Skeaping, studied at the Central School of Arts and Crafts in London, and then at the Royal Academy of Arts. The master collaborated with various art groups. In 1928, he became a member of the London Group, which challenged the conservative Royal Academy and supported little-known artists by organizing exhibitions. In the early 1930s, Skapping joined the Seven and Five Society, which aimed to foster interest in traditional forms of art against the backdrop of the dominance of innovative methods in creativity.
Skapping worked with various materials and created several marble portraits of familiar artists. His main theme was animalism. Ceramic figurines of bears, kangaroos, monkeys, and tigers can be found in museums and at auctions. However, the sculptor loved horses most of all. The bronze works presented here date back to the 1960s–80s. Many of them are found in multiple copies, as they were repeatedly cast from metal. Several dozen works are housed in the Yale Center for British Art.
Source:
collections.britishart.yale.edu
