Edgar Degas, French
“You Know, I’ve Never Told Anyone This Before, But I Became a Jockey For the Underwear,” ca. 1889
Oil on canvas
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Artist info is pointed to by my comment and replies at another blog entry.
/// Degas painted Four Jockeys in place,
but they’re clearly not ready to race.
They’re bunched up in this scene,
on a meadow that’s green,
but in different directions they face.
/// Lightweight breeches are white, by tradition,
to reflect the sun’s fiery emission.
And the silks in bright hues
are good long-distance cues
to which jockey is in which position.
/// Degas knew that a jockey’s I.D.
isn’t made by a face one can see.
It’s the colors they wear
at which spectators stare.
To tell riders apart, silks are key.
/// Some prefer ballerinas, of course,
to a brightly clad man on a horse.
but he drew more than two
subjects for us to view.
Degas painted some nudes we endorse.
/// Horseback racing is one major sport
in which all the best athletes are short.
For their steeds to take flight,
jockeys have to be light,
and to weight-loss drugs some may resort.