Jonathan Cohen's photos with the keyword: horse

The Mausoleum of Halikarnassos (a Greek polis in modern-day Turkey) dates from about 350 BCE. A four-horse chariot group (quadriga) was positioned on the top of the stepped pyramid that crowned the Mausoleum of Halikarnassos. The entire group would have been about 6.5 metres in length and around 5 metres in height. These two fragments are the largest that survive. They form the head and fore-part of a horse with its original bronze bridle, and the hind-quarters probably of another horse. The exact significance of this chariot group is uncertain. The quiet and dignified composition may reflect a funerary function. If the chariot was empty, it may have been an offering to the dead king. Though not common in ancient Greece, the practice of offering an empty chariot and horses was more frequent among the dynasts who ruled the outer limits of the ancient Greek world. It is perhaps more likely that the chariot was occupied, certainly by a charioteer and maybe even by Maussollos himself. If this were the case, the whole group would have represented the apotheosis (becoming a god) of Maussollos. The king is shown accompanied by Nike, the goddess of victory, rising up to the heavens. Alternatively, the chariot may have been driven by Apollo, or Helios, the god with whom some scholars believe Maussollos associated himself. It represents the forepart of a horse belonging to the colossal chariot group which crowned the tomb. The horse stands quietly with its head held down and turned to its left. It conveys a sense of great energy and vitality shown by the bulging muscles, flaring nostrils, open mouth, prominent veins and bulbous right eye. The teeth are carved within the open mouth and the tongue is outlined. The horse’s mane runs along the neck on both sides and a lock of hair flops around the right eye. Around the body are two bands that are part of the harness which are joined at the crest by a collar. It is the regular type of harness for a four-horse chariot. The original bronze bridle and bit are still secured by dowels. The curving cheek-pieces are of the Corinthian type. The statue is reconstructed from several fragments. Traces of paint remain.

Hope (the colt) and Odyssey (the mare) are not, strictly speaking, mosaiculture pieces Rather, they are representative of a new trend, that of so-called ecological works: creations with an often ephemeral quality, made from organic materials and inspired by nature. They are the work of Heather Jansch, an English artist who is well-known for her life-size sculptures of horses fashioned from driftwood. Passionnate about both drawing and horses, she carefully selects the branches of wood that go into her sculptures so as to avoid the need to cut or otherwise alter them while still creating the desired effect. She can devote more than half a year to a single piece. For a description of the art of Mosaiculture and of the Mosaïcultures Internationales de Montréal competition, please turn to the first photo in this series at: www.ipernity.com/doc/jonathan.cohen/33872015

Cabot Square is an urban square in Montreal, between the former Montreal Forum and the Montreal Children's Hospital. The square is located in the Shaughnessy Village neighbourhood, an area which has been recently re-dubbed the Quartier des Grands Jardins and has been slated for redevelopment. The square opened in 1870 and the monument to Italian-born English explorer John Cabot, by Italian sculptor Guido Casini (1892-1956), was unveiled on May 25, 1935. The square is unusual by Montréal standards in that it has multiple short fences and hedges employed to direct traffic and prevent too much through-traffic from ruining the grass, a design concept that hasn't entirely worked out. The square is well-used but generally by a population of homeless or otherwise impoverished people. It remains a popular destination for members of those groups wishing to drink alcohol outdoors. For this reason there is generally a visible police and public security presence in the area. Of late, installation artwork and conceptual sculptures have been integrated into the square as part of a broad urban beautification plan. In late summer/early fall 2013, the city began a major cleanup of the square including: cleaning the statue of Cabot, pruning the trees and collecting debris. Robert Lorrain (born in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Québec in 1940) is a Canadian painter and sculptor and a long-time devotee of Sri Aurobindo. He is largely a self-taught artist, describing technique as "only a necessity." "What truly marks high art," he says "is when you sense that beauty has been expressed through intensity of dedication." Reminiscing about the time he studied at the École des Beaux Arts in Montreal, he says, "There was only one teacher there whom I inwardly recognised as an artist, someone with a burning dedication which infused all his teaching." And passionately: "When you make a piece of art, you concentrate, you give the utmost of what you can. You ask a lot of yourself because you know that that is the only circumstance under which true beauty will manifest. It all depends on what the artist puts into the work." He believes that many artists don’t go deep enough and and avoid questioning themselves. "They should be asking themselves ‘Is this work really beautiful?’ There should be a burning need for continuous self-improvement. For only then does one get towards the spiritual aspect of art." The artist describes this sculpture: "The great horse. It wants to rear up, full of youthful audacity and humor, a touch of irony in its assertion. He hesitates."

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... A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty "Hi-Yo Silver!"