STAND in the main foyer of the National Gallery in London and look to your right, through two arches into rooms that contain fusty Renaissance allegorical paintings. There on a wall, 100 yards away, is the finest life-size equestrian portrait ever done. It is Whistlejacket (1762) by George Stubbs, which has been described as "a romantic study in solitude and liberty". Its sabulous background helps to give the viewer inspiration for wild dreams and far horizons.
Go then to the Burrell Collection in Glasgow and admire Joseph Crawhall's Foxhounds Jingling Gate (1885). This, too, is the finest work of its genre. In his memoir The Life of a Painter, Sir John Lavery wrote of Crawhall: 'If he did a pack of hounds, the huntsman would be able to recognise every single one, even when it was only indicated in half a dozen marks. What is all the more remarkable is that neither artist hunted nor sat on a horse.
But there is a band of artists whose work has been informed by their hunting lives. They have been brought up with horses and hounds, and have observed the characteristics and movements of both from the ground. Their works may not hang on the walls of national galleries but many have found their way, through smaller exhibitions or private commissions, into the homes of people to whom art is an important pleasure and record of their sport.
Esta historia es de la edición July 2023 de The Field.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición July 2023 de The Field.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Rory Stewart - The former Cabinet minister and hit podcast host talks to Alec Marsh about the parlous state of British politics, land management and his deep love of the countryside
The gently spoken 51-year-old former Conservative Cabinet minister is a countryman at heart. That's clear: he even changes into a tweed waistcoat for the interview, which takes place at his London home and begins with a question about his precise career status. Having resigned from the Commons and the Conservative Party in 2019, the former diplomat and soldier has reinvented himself, first with an unconventional but promising run as an independent for the London mayoralty (abandoned because of COVID19 in 2020) and then as a media figure, co-hosting one of the country's most popular podcasts, The Rest Is Politics, alongside Alastair Campbell, the former Labour spin doctor.
Fodder
Local fare with the feel-good factor.
Celebrating the game changers
Once served only in the traditional manner, the fruits of our forays now find their way into all manner of diverse and delicious dishes, say Neil and Serena Cross
The first civil engineer
John Smeaton left an indelible mark on the field of engineering and, three centuries after his birth, his legacy remains as strong as ever
School spirits
From grey ladies and ghostly gardeners to more malign entities, public schools are a rich repository of unnatural phenomena
'A long way from Piccadilly or Pall Mall'
Marking 150 years since the birth of Sir Winston Churchill, Dr Conor Farrington explores this eminent statesman’s often-overlooked 1907 tour of British East Africa: a journey rich with enchanting natural beauty and sporting adventure
Top of the pups
Canines in all their guises were celebrated at The Field Top Dog Awards lunch at Defender Burghley Horse Trials whether eager on the peg, patient at home or perpetually making mischief
Angling for success
It’s never too early to shape up for next season’s salmon and trout, and these top fishing schools are here to help
Talking scents
The canine nose is an astonishingly complex piece of biotechnology that man has harnessed for sustenance and sport for thousands of years
Wall-to-wall excitement
Criss-crossed by formidable drystone walls, the High Peak Harriers’ scenic country provides a day out with an exhilarating difference