While largely celebrated for his surreal artwork, when Salvador Dali studied art in Barcelona and Madrid he dabbled in a number of artistic styles.

Interestingly enough, his surreal work was partly inspired by the writings of Sigmund Freud about the significance of subconscious imagery.

Dali’s Horses

Being Spanish, his obvious love of horses makes perfect sense. Horses often make an appearance in his art. So many in fact that I couldn’t fit them all in this post.

I selected a variety of styles to show here, some of which may surprise you.

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Vincent Van Gogh was born in Groot-Zundert, Holland in 1853, his father was a pastor so he was raised in a religious environment. Vincent was a high strung and self-conscious youth.

Happiness From Beauty

He decided to become an artist in 1880 after suffering a few failed relationships and and unsuccessful stint as a preacher in a Belgian mining town. He began his artistic studies in Belgium with the intention of inspiring happiness by creating beauty.

A Few Tokens

Although it is clear that horses were not one of his favorite subjects, they did make a guest appearance in his work now and then. Here are a few examples of how Van Gogh saw horses.
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Horse art on Saturdays seems to have become a habit and every week I look forward to seeing which artist is next on my list to use.

A Little About Francisco

Francisco de Goya was a Spanish painter and printmaker who is considered among the last of the old masters in some circles and among the first of the moderns in others.

He was also a court painter for the Crown and a chronicler of history.

Overtaken By Darkness

Francisco clearly had a sinister side and he battled mental illness late in life. As his sickness progressed he entered a dark period where his art centered on witchcraft, war, nightmares and the loneliness of mental instability.

The horses he painted reflect this darkness in him and are often shown in battle or the bull ring.

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I’ve enjoyed the idea of looking back at some of the masters of the art world to see which ones were horse fans.

It’s no secret that the horse is a difficult animal to draw – perspective is everything. I like to think that some of the true talents drew them to hone their skills.

About Eugene

Eugene Delacroix was one of the important French Romantic painters. He was also a lithographer and illustrated for the likes of William Shakespeare and Sir Walter Scott.

He was inspired by Reubens and painters of the Venetian Renaissance who believed in an emphasis on color and movement in their art.
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Albrecht Dürer was a painter, printmaker and theorist and is generally considered the greatest German Renaissance artist.

A Renaissance Man Indeed

Although he painted extensive portraits (and a great number of self-portraits) he was also a woodcut artist and some of his most well-known work are woodcuts.
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Logos are a fun way to express the feeling and ideas behind any business, and the horse industry is no exception.

Simplicity is Best

While I’m a firm believer in keeping things simple and (for the horse industry) staying away from too much *horse* in the logo.

This article started when I found one that I really liked, then when I started doing some research I found a whole bunch of clever horse logos that were worth sharing.

Breaking The Rules

Although most of them go against my no horse rule, I like them anyway.
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Recently I’ve been featuring quite a few horse artists which has given me a new appreciation for how difficult it is to paint horses, especially in motion.

It all started with Leonardo da Vinci, once I found some of his horses I decided I wanted to check out the equine animal from some of the greats throughout history.
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