Mixed media: pen and watercolor sketch
Dimensions: 31 x 24 cm (inside the mat), 44 x 34 cm when framed
Signed on the front
Krzysztof Jarocki – Race
An exceptionally expressive and highly figurative watercolor by Krzysztof Jarocki, depicting one of the artist’s most characteristic motifs—a horse captured at full gallop with a rider leaning over it.
The composition was created by combining a freehand pen sketch with watercolor. Nervous, dynamic lines define the horse’s anatomy and the rider’s silhouette, while bold patches of browns, blues, and grays lend the scene depth and an extraordinary sense of movement. Jarocki does not attempt to capture the horse in a static pose—on the contrary, he depicts it as pure energy, momentum, and tension, as if only a single second of the race had been frozen on paper.
Particular attention is drawn to the economy of means. Areas left almost entirely as sketches are juxtaposed with stronger watercolor accents. Thanks to this, the depiction retains the lightness, spontaneity, and character of an artist’s study, while at the same time creating a complete, exceptionally evocative figurative composition.
The work is superbly complemented by its framing. The decorative, light-colored mat with a distinctive texture beautifully complements the paper and highlights the lightness of the watercolor, while the carefully selected frame in a deep brown hue echoes the horse’s color. A subtle metallic detail between the frame and the mat further organizes the composition. The painting, together with its framing, forms a cohesive, elegant, and display-ready whole with a distinctly collectible character.
This is one of Jarocki’s works in which his ability to combine figurative art, his excellent observation of the horse, and an almost calligraphic freedom of line is particularly evident.
Krzysztof Jarocki (b. 1959) – a Polish painter, draftsman, and sculptor whose work is strongly associated with animal subjects, and above all with the motif of the horse. In his works, the artist focuses not only on the animal’s anatomy but, above all, on the movement, dynamism, strength, and elegance of its silhouette.
A characteristic element of his artistic language is his bold, expressive line and his ability to construct a depiction using foreshortening and free swaths of color. Jarocki’s horses often give the impression of being captured in a single fleeting moment—during a gallop, a race, or a sudden movement—which keeps his compositions light and full of energy.
The horse motif has become one of the most recognizable elements of his body of work, and the watercolor on display is an excellent example of the artist’s distinctive style—a combination of sketch-like spontaneity, figurativeness, and a fascination with movement.
