Horse Frightened by Lightning

Delacroix's Horse Frightened by Lightning of 1824 depicts a horse rearing in terror before a flash of lightning, a subject that combined his passion for equine anatomy with the Romantic cult of natural force as the sublime. Géricault had established the terrified horse as a Romantic motif, and Delacroix extended this tradition with his characteristic energy of brushwork and intensity of color contrast between the darkened sky and the animal's illuminated form. Such animal studies occupied an important place alongside his figure compositions, providing material for the turbulent animal encounters of his later Morroccan-inspired works.

The dramatic diagonal of the rearing horse against the stormy sky creates a powerful sense of natural violence. Delacroix's free, rapid brushwork and dark palette shot through with lightning flashes convey the terror of the moment.