Meaning & Analysis

Galloping Horse 3 shows a semi three-dimensional image of a horse depicted with thick black outlines and set against a plain green backdrop.

For this print, Opie takes the same subject and title used for his Galloping Horse sculpture from 2012 that shows an LED continuous moving image of a horse in black and white. Galloping Horse 3 replicates a still image from this sculpture, showing the horse mid-motion. This series points to Opie’s interest in creating movement through a series of static images and places his works within the history of art. By using the subject of the horse specifically, Opie creates a set of images reminiscent of the 19th century motion photographer Eadweard Muybridge who created the first moving images by using a sequence of still photographs of a horse.

The sculptural iteration of the subject was installed in the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in 2014 and Director of the Programme, Clare Lilley, said of the work: ‘Julian Opie is one of the most significant artists of his generation and Galloping Horse is a beautiful work that extends the material of contemporary sculpture, making full use of new technology.’