World Through Art At Banan’s

July 11th, for most of us, is just a normal boiling hot Kuwaiti summer day, but for others, of which I am one, it is a day that celebrates horses as the United Nations have recently declared. This declaration came to honor the special bond that links these majestic and beautiful inside out creatures to man. As a hippophile, I would like to share George Stubbs’s “Whistlejacket” to recognize the occasion. “Whistlejacket” is the title of a life-size painting that was given to it after its subject: The Arabian stallion. The painting hangs on display in the London National Gallery boasting with its sole element as it shows off the horse not only without any background but also without harness or a rider in a graceful posture manifesting its spirit. However, it is believed that the horse was not deliberately depicted the way it is, and it is an unfinished work of art. Word has it that during the final painting session while Whistlejacket was being held by the stable boy to be painted, the already unmanageable horse took his depiction in the painting for another real horse, which triggered a reaction causing turbulence. The incident convinced the commissioner of the artwork’s excellence, and accordingly, any added element would take away its charm, leaving it only for the horse’s spirit to accompany it.

Banan H Akbar
Language Instructor – HSC
Benan.akbar@ku.edu.kw