Horse Resting (Le Cheval à la Couché)
Marino Marini
Description
Subject Matter:
Created after Marini returned to Milan after WWII, this print depicts his premier subject matter: the horse. Marini cultivated this theme during the time he spent in his wife's native Switzerland during the Second World War. The theme both represents a return to art historical motifs and a look forward. Here, the majestic horse is made immobile, laying on the ground with its leg bent, helplessly backward. Its body is depicted through a simplified series of lines, yet the form is exagerated by the larger blue shape. Though he was primarily known as a sculptor, Marini worked extensively in two-dimensions, especially color lithograph. These two-dimensional works were not merely sculptural studies or secondary works but an active part of his practice in investigating different ways to present modernist form.
Physical Description:
This colored lithograph has a large, bright blue shape at the center, completely surrounded by black. Within the blue shape, there is a white design of a horse laying down. The print is signed in red crayon (l.r.) "MARINO" and numbered in red crayon (l.l.) "38/50".
Usage Rights:
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.