L'œuvre en bref

In this work, Raoul Dufy chose an aristocratic and worldly subject: a horse ride in a wooded park. Count Harry Kessler, a cosmopolitan figure and influential patron of the arts at the time, had links with many modern artists, which may explain the origin of this commission or inspiration.

The scene shows a number of riders riding through a green landscape. The horses and figures are sketched in broad, sometimes barely defined strokes, in a light palette dominated by greens, ochres and blues. The shapes are supple, often unfinished, revealing the underlying paper or canvas. The black outlines underline some of the volumes without enclosing them. The painting gives an impression of lightness and movement, without seeking to depict faces or outfits precisely, but rather to evoke the atmosphere of a forest outing, on the borderline between sketch and decorative composition.

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