Le jockey rouge

Le jockey rouge (1961) features many of the motifs that brought Jean Paul Lemieux into prominence: infinite space, sloping horizons, truncated figures, distant silhouettes on the edge of the frame, and a prominent figure on horseback. The jockey, dressed in an orange jersey, his back to the viewer, sits tall astride his gleaming mount. He seems to be heading toward a woman, also riding a horse, dressed in white, with long flowing hair, off in the distance. Although the equestrian motif is present throughout several key periods of Lemieux’s career (Le cavalier, 1964; Cavalier dans la neige, 1967; Cavalier au bord d’un lac, 1970; L’été, 1976), here it appears not once, but twice. Le jockey rouge—like many of Lemieux’s emblematic paintings—has the festive ambience of strolls in the countryside (1910 Remembered, 1962; L’été de 1914, 1965), sunbathing in a white dress (La plage américaine, 1973), and large outdoor summer gatherings (Les noces de juin, 1972).