PHILIPS WOUWERMAN AND THE WHITE HORSE
White horses have long been key symbols in the visual telling of stories. Pegasus, although with wings, immediately comes to mind or maybe the story of the knight on the white horse rescuing the damsel in distress. Associated in medieval and renaissance times with chivalry and nobility, and in Christianity with spirituality, victory, or conquest they have played a significant part in perpetuating the visual theme of good vs evil. Artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, and Albrecht Dürer, have depicted white horses in various contexts, contributing to the rich tapestry of symbolism in art history. Philips Wouwerman was also one of those artists.
In The Netherlands during the 17th century, the country witnessed a fascination with equestrian culture. Philips Wouwerman keenly tapped into that, filling his scenes with horses in a variety of movements, which made him a distinguished painter even during his own lifetime. His recurring motifs of horses and travellers, often with detailed fantastical backdrops, made his art popular and to this day he is most associated with paintings which contain horses. However, Wouwerman was not just cranking out commercially appealing art, he was doing his best to send a message of morality that he thought society needed to hear.
The 17th century in the Netherlands was a turning point. Gone was the heavily religious art of the Renaissance and in was the genre scene. Genre scenes like a Merry Company or a Guardroom Interior contained their own moral cues and commentary on society, but a typical landscape scene had none of this. They were often very peaceful and pastoral, containing people only as props for perspective, not as active participants. The compositions that Wouwerman was painting were effectively outdoor genre scenes. The characters (and horses) were the stars of the show. There was action and commentary on society, and in most of them Wouwerman’s white horse was the star.
In our painting, a man on a white horse is seen pushing back against attackers who had clearly been robbing and beating travellers on a road. His rider is taking on the bandits without us understanding if he has any relation to either party. Is he a white knight stepping in to save these poor travellers or is he one of the company, something we will never know. All the other travellers also have white horses, while the bandits all have dark brown or black ones. This offers a clear delineation between the good guys and the bad, making this a well-defined battle of good vs evil.
Beyond their symbolic meanings, white horses also contributed to the visual aesthetics of Wouwerman’s paintings. In this painting, the luminous white horse contrasts with the rough landscape and the dynamic scene, creating a focal point that draws us further in. The placement of the other white horses, although not as prominent, keep your eye focused on the entire scene. This compositional strategy showcased Wouwerman’s mastery in guiding the viewer's gaze while infusing his works with a sense of energy and meaning.
Wouwerman did not paint these compositions to glorify these despicable actions in any way. He was trying to show his hatred of violence and the suffering of people. A comment on society, just as a brothel scene commented on the degradation of moral values. You can understand why these scenes were so popular during his time because there was nothing sappy about these paintings but a message of defiance against these criminals. Wouwerman was asking people to refuse to accept this kind of conduct as part of life. He was also using these white horses as a symbol of hope. Hope that society would improve, hope that people would raise their moral standards, or maybe hope that the world is a better place than what he was seeing. We will never know what kind of hope Wouwerman was trying to convey, but no matter which one, I think we could all agree we could use a few white horses in our life.
September 6, 2023
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