Equestrian artist admired in exhibit

"Stubbs and the Horse," an exhibition at The Waiters Art Museum through May 29, focuses on the works of George Stubbs that range from portraits of famous racehorses to dramatic scenes of mortal combat between wild horses and lions. The exhibit includes 40 of his major paintings, 35 drawings and three rare copies of the book, "The Anatomy of the Horse."

"To call George Stubbs 'just a horse painter' is like calling Leonardo da Vinci 'just a painter of humans,'" says Gary Vikan, director.

The British artist, considered to be the greatest painter of horses in the history of art, portrayed the animal with a classical beauty, heroism and expressiveness that was previously preserved for the human figure. "Whistlejacket" is the event's centerpiece and is Stubbs' most widely admired piece.

"'Whistlejacket' in Baltimore, all by itself, would be a not-to-be-missed exhibition," says Vikan. "Stubbs is one of the truly great painters of all time, and what is most revealing of his genius is how he puts his paintings together with a calculated, subtle sense of compositional rhythm combined with his anatomical knowledge. His aesthetic is startling in its realism, and awe-inspiring in its sublime beauty."

SHOW FACTS

Stubbs and the Horse

Through May 29

The Waiters Art Museum

Address: 600 North Charles St. Baltimore

Phone: 410-547-9000

Web site: www.thewalters.org