The Races
Edouard Manet French
Not on view
During the Second Empire, horseracing was in vogue and the racetrack at Longchamps became a gathering place for fashionable society. A frequent subject of articles in the popular press and of many popular prints, the races drew an elegant crowd of aristocrats and wealthy prostitutes who mingled with bookmakers and bettors. Manet's print is distinctive for its dramatic departure from the traditional lateral view of the horses in favor of a radically foreshortened frontal view of the animals galloping directly toward the spectator posted at one of the curves.
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