Sport as Aesthetic Edgar Degas\'

Sport as Aesthetic

Edgar Degas' painting "Horses on the Course at Longchamp" applies the principle of gradation to the color temperature of the piece. Degas uses warm color tones such as orange, yellow, and brown to achieve a moderate intensity which connects the horses, the riders, and the autumnal scene in the background. The gradation of color amongst the trees, the riders' clothing, and the subtle differences in the horses' color creates overall harmony and lends the painting a subdued tone which indicates that the race referred to in the painting's title is at its conclusion. Degas captures the quiet moments after the horse race rather than the intensity and high drama of the race itself. The movement in this piece is very understated, to emphasize the slow gait of the horses, and is accomplished primarily through the use of vertical lines in the horses' legs.

John Groth uses a variety of techniques to create the 'illusion of motion' in his painting "Tilting at the Ring." He uses blotches of color and the blurring of the jousters to demonstrate that he is in the midst of a highly energetic match. This technique is also used around the waving flags and the feet of the horses, two kinds of movement which further bolster the activity of the jouster himself. Vertical lines are also utilized -- primarily in the jousting sticks, which are at various sharp angles -- to emphasize that the sportsman are fully engaged in their activity. The composition of the painting, in which the jousters are in the foreground and thus given dominance over the observers, increases the 'illusion of motion'. This is further supported by the blurring of the observers, and the jaunty, anticipatory angles of the jousting sticks held by those jousters waiting for their matches. Groth also uses a gradation of value in the jouster, whose arched back and raised forearm are painted in dark hues which gradually lighten as the eye follows his body to the white horse which he is riding, all emphasizing that the horse is rearing back in movement.

3. Rosa Serra's sculpture "Handball Player" and R.Tait McKenzie's sculpture "Joy of Effort" both use the human form to demonstrate the power of physical movement. McKenzie's piece focuses on a repetition of the image of a man in three action-based poses, a technique which gives the figure the 'illusion of motion'. Additionally, McKenzie emphasizes the musculature of the human body, paying attention to the figure's rib cage, calve muscles, and tensed back and forearms to demonstrate that he is in the midst of physical activity. The figure's body position further suggests action, and the manner in which the figure is repeated gives the overall piece a sense of harmony and balance -- as if the viewer is able to see the motion from its start through to its finish.