The Neigh of an Iron Horse

Joseph Anderson Faris

National Gallery of Art

This painting shows a side view of a horse and a steam train in an open landscape. The reddish-brown horse is in the center of the painting, its legs bent and its head turned over its shoulder, looking to the left. Its long brown mane and tail appear to be blown to the left by the wind, and its one visible eye is wide, its mouth partially open. The gray-and-brown train is depicted in the background on the left, following a thin curving track, plumes of white and gray smoke flowing up from it. The color palette includes brown, green, blue, and white shades. The landscape contains tall grasses, small rocks, short bushes, a small blue pond on the left, and a tall tree on the right. The horizon is in the center, behind the horse, showing distant hazy trees and a cloudy blue sky above.