Horses

Rating:
Summary: Arabians
Review:


As of last year it was reported that acclaimed French photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand worked in a tree house at his home near Paris. One imagines that he does so in order to be closer to the world of nature that he loves so much.

With an aesthete's eye and top photographer's skill he produced a landmark work - The Earth From Above in which he captures our Earth in a series of aerial photographs. That volume has been the subject of several print exhibits as well as universal praise.

More than skilled with a camera, Arthus-Bertrand is one who respects the natural world. He brings this quality to his latest work, Horses, a splendid coffee table volume in which his lens captures the magnificence, grace, beauty, and playfulness of one of man's best friends.

Containing more than 200 photographs the reader is treated to views of horses at rest, at work and at play. Moreover, we see American jockeys, Mongolian herders, Spanish matadors, and other horse owners in their native dress and environment. Each photo underscores the serendipitous, interdependent relationship between horse and man.

An informative text by Jean-Louis Gouraud adds depth to this keepsake volume sure to be treasured by equine enthusiasts, photography aficionados, and lovers of the natural world.

- Gail Cooke

Rating:
Summary: Gorgeous horse portraits from every corner of the Earth
Review: "...The Mongols have more than five hundred terms to describe their horses' coats." Just wait until you see Yann Arthus-Bertrand's photographs of the metallic gold, silken-coated Akhal-Teke stallion, Murgi. If Rembrandt had painted horses, they would resemble Arthus-Bertrand's photographs. When I first came upon the picture of the Russian Heavy Draft stallion Jar, I thought it WAS an oil painting. Admirers of Stubbs will very much enjoy the portraits in this book.

But "Horses" is not just another beautiful picture book. It also has a very dense, satisfying text, in the manner of a French natural history: opinionated; filled with wonderfully obscure facts; and most elegantly written (and translated). The author does ignore most North American horse breeds such as the Saddlebred and the Tennessee Walker, in a rather snooty Gallic fashion. Instead, he showcases many African, South American, and French breeds that were completely unknown to me. To someone who is used to leafing through English and American encyclopedias of horse breeds, this book will be a real eye-opener. For instance how many readers will have heard of the Augeron, the Kabardin, the Nivernais, the Trait du Maine, or the Auxois? Would they realize that the oldest horse race in France features the Auxois, which is a Burgundian draft horse?

"Horses" has over 225 color equine portraits taken over the course of fifteen years. A dark brownish-black backdrop allows the reader to focus on the horse in all of its majesty, and on the relationship between horse and human. It is truly the most beautiful book in my library.