Enchanted Rider

Bob Thompson, Enchanted Rider, 1961, oil on canvas, 62 ³⁄₄ x 46 ⁷⁄₈ in. (159.5 x 119.0 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. David K. Anderson, Martha Jackson Memorial Collection, 1975.21

Artwork Details

Title: Enchanted Rider
Artist: Bob Thompson
Date: 1961
Location: Not on view
Dimensions: 62 ³⁄₄ x 46 ⁷⁄₈ in. (159.5 x 119.0 cm.)
Credit Line: Gift of Mr. and Mrs. David K. Anderson, Martha Jackson Memorial Collection
Mediums: oil
Mediums Description: oil on canvas
Classifications: Painting
Subjects: Equestrian
Fantasy — winged being
Object Number: 1975.21
Linked Open Data: https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1975.21

Artwork Description

In some of Thompson’s canvases, the artist revisited mythical and allegorical subjects; in others, Christ images, Madonnas, and Christian saints served as vehicles for exploring the battle between good and evil. Enchanted Rider depicts a figure astride a winged steed whose hoofs trample a devil-like monster. The subject may be Pegasus, the flying horse from Greek mythology who defeated the fearsome Chimera, but the faint cross at the center suggests a religious theme. According to legend, St. George held a cross to protect himself when he attacked a dragon that was terrorizing a village. When he slew the dragon and rescued a princess, the town’s citizens adopted Christianity in gratitude.

African American Art: Harlem Renaissance, Civil Rights Era, and Beyond, 2012