André Brasilier, *Les cavaliers bleus* (The Blue Riders), oil on canvas, 46 × 55 cm (18.1 × 21.7 in.), 2022

Blue Riders, an oil painting from 2022 by André Brasilier (1929–). This relatively recent work demonstrates the artist’s undiminished creative drive even at 93 years old.

Against a light ochre ground reminiscent of a sandy beach, horses and riders in shades from ultramarine to deep purple gallop powerfully. In the background, a myriad of stippled dots creates the effect of a flock of birds or breaking waves extending into the distance, generating a fantastical sense of depth alongside the pale pink and blue sky.

The bold and free brushwork, which seems to dissolve the horses’ outlines, reveals Brasilier’s late-career approach of transcending figuration to depict pure emotion. The nobility and dynamism imbued in the color “blue” lend a refreshing tension to the entire composition.