Racing

Thomas Rowlandson

National Gallery of Art

The image shows a horse racing scene from an elevated point of view. The landscape shows hills meeting the sky with trees and a red building in the distance. Multiple jockeys on horseback are racing on a dirt track, with other horses and carts also participating. The painting uses brushwork typical of early 19th-century illustrations, with clear outlines and flat areas of color in green, yellow, blue, and earth tones. In the background, crowds are gathered around tents and a stand. The sky is depicted with pastel hues and stylized, curvilinear clouds.